I've always thought that the designs for Marvel's Ultimate Punisher, Ultimate Daredevil, and Ultimate Elektra were at best, bland, and at worst, real lazy. Ultimate Punisher and Daredevil are especially horrible, since their costumes don't set them apart at all from their regular Marvel (a.k.a. 616 continuity) counterparts.
I couldn't stand watching my Raptors get demolished by the Nets so I just decided to do a quick revamp of the Ultimate Punisher design (look slightly inspired by actor Danny Tréjo):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_puncopy2.jpg)
I was gonna draw the thing on paper but I wanted to stretch my mouse-drawing muscles... it's been awhile since I booted up Photoshop (almost a year, I think).
Even cooked up a quick backstory:
"Lieutenant Francisco Castillo is a SHIELD undercover agent sent to investigate a suspected connection between stolen SHIELD next-generation weapons tech and West Coast-based gang, the Tarantulas. Castillo infiltrates the Tarantula organization and even takes part in the group's ritualistic tattooing traditions, getting a large stylized skull imprinted on his torso. He eventually gains access to the gang's inner circle and collects enough evidence to link the gang with corrupt SHIELD weapons developers. Facing the possibility of jail-time, the rogue SHIELD developers blow Castillo's cover. The Tarantulas attack the unsuspecting Castillo in his modest Santa Ana home before he can deliver the evidence to his superiors. Castillo's wife and two children are killed in the attack, but the agent, despite his grievous injuries, survives. Vowing revenge, Castillo dubs himself "El Verdugo" and sets out against the Tarantulas and the the rogue SHIELD weapons developers."
I might try and do Daredevil and Elektra later if I'm not too busy.
Here's my version of Ultimate Daredevil... this look was slightly inspired by the character Prince Zuko (in his Blue Spirit guise) from the Nickeloden show Avatar. I was trying to make an oni-type Noh theatrical mask for the facemask.
concept thumbnail sketch:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_dd_concept.jpg)
I then blew up the thumbnail and drew and coloured over it in Photoshop, changing the pose and some of the other elements along the way:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_ddcopy.jpg)
Haven't come up with a coherent backstory to go with the visualsave that I'm thinking that the character should be Japanese (Matt Murdock = Mamoru Matsuo?) and his story is set in modern-day Japan... but he's obviously something along the lines of a modern-day ninja... maybe a former acrobat blinded in a Yakuza-related incident?
Tortilocks: Oh my! What style you have, Zulu!
Seriously, great looks and designs. I dub them: niftiriffic!
Wow, those are pretty good looking. I love the style you have there.
First Im glad that we agree that the ultimate universe is a great place to try something entirely different than the mainstream marvel.
Second those are great, althought it's Ironic that I went to school in Mexico with a Francisco Castillo, hahahha, so it's a good latino name.
About Daredevil I love the fact that he has a dayjob... that he's a blind lawyer. Some of the best daredevil stories take place in the court room (same with she hulk). If you where to make him something other than a lawyer I would still recomend something in politics or at least a high level buisness man.
"Despite Mamoru Matsuo's handicap he still ranks highly in one of Japans main publicity firms... despite not knowing color his co-workers are amazed by his sensibility for arousing all the other senses of consumers and driving trends. They also hate the fact that he has a real way with the ladies, always with somebody gorgeous under his arm and dumping them before things get too serious, as though he has secrets he dosent want them to know..."
These are pretty sweet. They would have been great additions to the Ultimate universe. Not to mention that's a great looking style. All the details done with shadow... is nice. Is very nice.
Daredevil though... I have to admit I like his mask better in the sketch. Especially the horns and hair. But he's still a cool design. Back when I was doing FF universe characters I had thought of skinning a guy quite similar (but a different colour scheme, and something crazy like a flag on the back) for one of those contest entries.
It's a good look though, what can I say?
Thanks for the comments guys!
Neat idea concerning Daredvil lugaru, although if it were up to me,I'd take away Ultimate Daredevil from the whole lawyer-by-day, masked-crimefighter-by-night thing. The dichotomy works within the 616 Marvel universe (because of the greater allowance for suspension of disbelief) but in what's supposed to be a more realistic Ultimate setting, I just can't see how a person trained in law could, in good conscience, condone something as extreme as outright vigilantism.
Anyways, here's my take on Ultimate Elektra:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_elektracopy.jpg)
I decided to give her a couple of semiautomatic pistols instead of the usual sai... traditionally, ninja have always used any and all advantages in combat to win, so I think it's actually in keeping with the spirit of the character that she would use handguns over medieval Japanese weapons. I used the same reasoning to go for the close-cropped hair. I did keep the red colour scheme, though, but updated it from a barely there gi to an equally tight-fitting jumpsuit.
Here's my take on Ultimate Johnny "Ghost Rider" Blaze:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_GRcopy3.jpg)
EDIT: pic updated
IIRC, there's an editorial mandate in the Ultimate bullpen that discourages the introduction of mystic/magical characters (although how Ultimate Dr. Strange got in Ultimate Spider-Man, I have no idea), so I figured I'd update Johnny Blaze as a mutant skater (with psychic abilities that gives him an equivalent to the "Penance Stare" power)... seeing as how motorcycles aren't exactly the symbols of rebellion that they used to be (they've become something of a mid-life crisis placebo if you ask me). I tried to keep as many of the costume elements in there (but adapted to the skater aesthetic, of course)... the chain, the studded leather wristbands. What do you guys think?
Here's my version of Ultimate Shang-Chi, The Master of Kung-Fu:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_shangchicopy2-1.jpg)
EDIT: pic updated
The look is an homage to Bruce Lee (specifically, his look from The Game Of Death (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Death)), but using the predominant colours from Shang-Chi's original costume (//http://).
A couple of notes on the image, for those of you who are interested in these things:
- Shang-Chi is posed in a variation of the Bow Stance (also known as the "Climb the Mountain" stance), commonly associated with the Northern Praying Mantis school of kung-fu and with the Northern Shaolin ("external" or "hard") martial arts in general.
- The symbol behind him is a graphical representation of kung-fu: the T'ai Chi Tou (the large black and white circle) represents the yin and yang, the two fundamental and opposing forces of the universe that must be kept in balance at all times. The five orange circles behind the yin-and-yang symbol are symbolic of both the Shaolin temple and more importantly, the wu hsing or the original five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water)
zulu i am lovign this redesings, quite simple more streamlined cotumes, and this style you are developing is quite interesting
Shang-Chi and Elektra are astounding!!! I would pick up those titles in a heartbeat if they were drawn like that. They actually look like the X-Men Legends characters. I love the gun fx for Elektra, as well as the description of Shang-Chi's bo staff stance and background... very detailed.
Jubes hasn't been ultimatized yet... lol.
Well well well--
As I've come to expect from you Zulu, these are nothing but the best.
Especially like GR, DD, and Shag Chi. Never did skate board myself, but I really like the concept. The pentacle on his t-shirt is a nice send up to the demonic influences of the character idea. Great backstories so far. What if DD was an Olympiad attacked and blinded to prevent Japan (or at least himself) from taking the gold medal? This would tie in with your acrobat concept, and also be in the realm of "more realistic" than radioactive waste falling off a truck in 616. Just a thought.
I agree that I would buy the comics with this art style. It is a unique, almost animated style, yet not over-simplified. Kudos from "the Old Guy."
Thinking back, I still really get a kick out of the fact that your avatar was done on BYD's EvolSam mesh. It took the teen design and made it available for more adult characters. :thumbup:
Thanks for sharing.
P1
One other note: I really like your use of color for shading rather than the typical "black ink." Who among us has black lines separating us
from the outside world anyway?
Thanks again for the comments!
Decided to go back and totally re-do my Ultimate Punisher image, seeing as how the first one was something I did on impulse and didn't really think through:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_pun2copy.jpg)
I decided to use more realistic proportions this time around, but still keeping with the stylized colours and shading. No preliminary sketch this time around, I had a vague picture in my mind for what I wanted him to look like... sort of cross between a G.I. Joe action figure and my initial idea for Ultimate Punisher (as seen in the first image of him that I made), although the lack of a preliminary sketch meant that I spent more time moving elements around before I was satisfied.
As for your specific comments:
QuoteJubes hasn't been ultimatized yet... lol.
- I might try and do Jubilee at some point in the future, but I can't really imagine what an "Ultimate Jubilee" would look like (maybe a hip-hop look? her plasmoids kind of remind me of graffiti)
QuoteIt is a[n]... almost animated style
- I'm trying to strike a balance between an animated look reminiscent of Gendy Tartakovsky's stuff and the contemporary comic book artists whose work I currently enjoy (Stuart Immonen, Skottie Young) so thanks for noticing :)
Not sure who I'm drawing next, but my older brother suggested I do USAgent or Luke Cage.
Isn't Gendy Tartakovsky the guy who does Dexter's Lab??? If so, he is a genius! I love that show and the artwork- your pictures are amazing, Zulu. Right out of a Legends/Marvel videogame... I wish these versions of the characters were actually available in a game- its such a tease lol. :)
Ultimate Jubilee... hmm. I think she would be more goth/nonconformist/grunge/or punk rather than hip-hop. She did love 80's music like Blondie, which is more pop grunge. Her plasmoids have actually been shown in grafitti form before too.
Great work so far, i love your style, and how clean and crisp they are. Perhaps an Ultimate Young Avengers is on the cards?
I've got to say... this updated Punisher is miles better. Which is astounding. And Shang-Chi looks fantastic. This stuff looks, to me, almost like cell-shaded 3D models. Incredibly well done cell-shaded 3D models.
Shang-Chi's background and Ghost Rider's pentacle are rough, though. I assume they were pieces you just pasted into place?
Quote from: UnkoMan on April 30, 2007, 11:33:56 AM
Shang-Chi's background and Ghost Rider's pentacle are rough, though. I assume they were pieces you just pasted into place?
Not quite... in both cases, they were taken from a different .PSD file (for a different project) in a lower resolution. The layers they were on were already rasterized (instead of being pure vector-based shapes), so when I re-sized the image, well, you get fuzzy outlines and such. On the Ghost Rider image, it isn't as bad, the fuzziness sort of suggests wear and tear like you see on old rock t-shirts that have been to the coin laundry a couple of times too many. The fuzziness does detract significantly from the Shang-Chi picture though, and I probably will re-do the background at a later point in time.
EDIT: Took advantage of a lull at work, updated Shang-Chi and Johnny Blaze pics, now up
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/samples.jpg)
Ahhh, that looks great. Nice and clean.
And, actually, if you want it to look faded I came across a fairly neat way the other day. It's for making things look like old school comics, but the fading technique can be applied to this, too.
Here's the relevant part: http://www.jonnycrossbones.com/ljcbtut/05.htm
It can end up looking really good depending on the texture you use for the mask. PS: The comic at that site is also amazingly awesome.
:popcorn2
I am beside myself...just enjoying this show. (Nice update on Punisher.)
*Hey! No throwing popcorn!*
Thanks for the comments, and thanks for the link unko (I'll never get used to calling somebody that!), another bookmark to add to my already burgeoning "Favorites" list.
Anyways, here's my take on Ultimate Johnny Walker, otherwise known as USAgent:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_usagentcopy.jpg)
Just like Ultimate Captain America, my version of USAgent is also a member of SHIELD (hence the Ultimate SHIELD insignia on his ballistic/riot shield). I originally wanted to do Ultimate USAgent as a secret agent type, wearing an understated black ribbed sweater, shoulder holster, maybe sunglasses... but halfway through the drawing he just started looking more and more like Ultimate Nick Fury, so I decided to throw out the original design and re-did him to look more like a SWAT operative, complete with a transparent polycarbonate ballistic shield, body armour, and a Fabrique National 5.7 mm P-90 submachine gun (the boxy looking weapon that they used in the original Stargate TV show).
I tried to write a brief backstory to go with the image but it just kept getting more and more ridiculous... I was going to play up the idea that a hard-charging, gung-ho, shoot-first-ask-questions later, super-alpha male type of individual is pretty much an anachronism these days, except in the military, where that type of thing is encouraged (for better or for worse). But then I started focusing on the idea that he could also be a "man-out-of-time" like Captain America, revived after 20 years in suspended animation (maybe a side-effect of the Super-Soldier serum?). Except in USAgent's case, instead of being stuck with a slightly naïve worldview from the 1940s, his mentality is firmly rooted in the Cold War-era 1980s: he still calls women "chicks", owns a "Don't Mess With Texas" t-shirt, wears a mullet, listens to Whitesnake, etc. Anyway, the backstory started to conflict with the tone of the image (I expressly wanted him to look ambiguous... like he could also be a villain in that stormtrooper-y uniform), so I just chucked it aside.
Very nice love your coloring style.
Quote from: zuludelta on May 01, 2007, 07:44:38 PM
Anyways, here's my take on Ultimate Johnny Walker, otherwise known as USAgent:
I tried to write a brief backstory to go with the image but it just kept getting more and more ridiculous...
Great work on your Ultimate takes on these characters... am I the only person here would love to see these characters in a mesh/skinned form? :unsure:
Anyway, I have a slight take on USAgent's background you might be able to spin off from:
"Johnny Walker grew up with his family living in the worst trailer park imaginable that was riddled with drugs, crime, and violence that left him inside hiding from the things that kids enjoyed the most. He spent hours watching TV and movies on cable when he was not reading or studying for school - those things we take for granted just because he wanted to block out the nightmare he was trapped within. His grades were incredible as a result of his need for perfection in his own little world. As soon as he graduated from high school he enrolled in the Army and spent years away on numberous military operations and never happier to be pushing himself beyond the limits just to keep from thinking about his family back home. Then during a military operation he was badly wounded during an explosion that left him in a deep coma for many years. He discovered to his shock that his world had changed during his time away and had been discharged from the Army with honors and a purple heart for his actions. He found that his bed was surrounded by flowers and cards from his parents who had located him during his sleep and wanted him to forgive them for what happened. After months of physical theropy he decided to return home and make life better for them to make up for leaving his old life behind. He joined the local police force and shot thru the rank and file due to his obsession for being perfect. It wasn't long before he was a member of the SWAT team and making his parents proud of him. He visited home as often as he could to help clean up the trailer park and chase off the bad elements - especially this group of rednecks that called themselves the Watchdogs. John was horrified to discover that one day as he was driving up to the park that his parents were brutally murdered and staked out on crosses on the front lawn. This was the breaking point for John and his mind snapped completely.. he wanted justice for all the wrongs he had seen but nobody was willing to do the job properly. After his parents funeral he took all of the money he had and vanished into the underground. A one man war erupted as weeks passed and members of the Watchdogs were killed one by one by mysterious circumstances and then he was captured by SHIELD Agents when he tried to shoot up one of the local bars filled with rednecks. SHIELD found that while he was a bit unstable he was a perfect soldier and someone was needed for dealing with domestic terrorism. After months with SHIELD's best shrinks and Psi-Ops people he was "fixed up" and given his new uniform as the first SuperCop of SHIELD."How is that for an Ultimate origin?
- CrimsonQuill
I could see a P90 on USAgent. :)
Really awesome work, Zulu. Enjoyed 'em all so far. ^_^
FORIAMSPAM!
Thanks for the comments everybody!
Looks like you did a bang-up job with the backstory CQ... I like the mention of the Watchdogs... nice touch.
Anyways, I updated the USAgent pic a teeny bit... added a little star-and-wings pin on his helmet so he's more identifiable as UISagent and not just a generic SWAT entry-team member.
I'm putting the Ultimate Marvel revamps on hold for the moment, since I signed up for Pyroclasm's most recent artist challenge (http://freedomreborn.net/archive/index.php?topic=42280.0). I'm doing an amalgam of the Samurai (from the 1970s Superfriends) and Marvel's Madrox the Multiple Man.
Anyway, I'm calling the concept I'm doing The Seven Virtues:
A composite being who can split into the seven distinct entities, each representing one of the seven virtues of Bushidō: meiyo (honour/character), gi (integrity/righteousness), yū (courage), jin (benevolence), rei (respect), makoto (truthfulness), and tsūgi (loyalty).
Here's the blocking, showing the placing of my first finished entity:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/artist_challenge_blocking01.jpg)
And here's a close-up shot:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_samuraicopy-1.jpg)
At the rate I'm going, I'll probably be done with the Artist's Challenge in 2 or 3 weeks, after which I'll go back to doing Ultimate-style stuff, although I'll probably sneak in an Ultimate or two to break the monotony of working on The Seven Virtues.
wow.
That last one is unbelievable. It looks aboslutely fantastic!
Are you planning on detailing the blocky people, or are you gonna leave it as it is, 'cos the way it is is a very nice, artistic effect. You should keep it, even if you do advance on it as well.
Quote from: crimsonquill on May 02, 2007, 06:55:03 AMam I the only person here would love to see these characters in a mesh/skinned form? :unsure:
Actually, a couple of these probably had their roots in some skin or hex editing idea I had at one time or another. Ultimate USAgent is from a motif I always find myself going back to... the whole red goggles and stormtrooper look (I used the same basic elements for my old What If?-concept "SHIELD 2099" skins), whereas Ultimate Punisher was inspired by some of the ideas being thrown back-and-forth between my older brother and I as he works on a Punisher-themed mod for GTA: San Andreas. I'm probably done with skinning and hex editing meshes (for FF at least) for the time being, but if somebody out there wants to use these images as the basis for their skin/hex/'skope, I'm all for it.
Quote from: Reepicheep on May 03, 2007, 07:37:44 AM
very nice, artistic effect. You should keep it, even if you do advance on it as well.
I'll be filling in the people in the background... but i tend to archive all the different stages of my work, so that preview pic is going to get saved. And thanks for taking the time to look!
Just an update of my Artists Challenge project:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/artist_challenge_blocking02.jpg)
Click here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_samurai_03copy.jpg) for a larger picture.
i just want you to know; my wife is taking a computer graphics college class, and she was having trouble.
i showed her your art, and she sort of said, '...oh.' and now she's doing things differently. she might actually pass the class now!
I love the concept as well as the sketch and finished piece for the Daredevil pic. The Kabuki mask works well with his eastern training, etc. Very cool.
Great retro "Bruce" look for Shange Chi. Let's face it, that's who he is abyway. I likey, a lot.
The Virtues pic is turning out great and I can't wait to see it finished. With a dark background, that would be a great desktop wallpaper... hint hint. ;)
The US Agent looks a little too SWAT officer for my tatse. But that a personal choice and the drawings is still great.
Overall, I really like the stylized coloring and how it works with your style. It makes me want to see the characters in motion. Great stuff Z, keep it coming! :thumbup:
Quote from: bearded on May 04, 2007, 01:38:25 PM
i just want you to know; my wife is taking a computer graphics college class, and she was having trouble.
i showed her your art, and she sort of said, '...oh.' and now she's doing things differently. she might actually pass the class now!
Wow, I'm very flattered bearded, tell her good luck with her class!
Quote from: Mowgli on May 04, 2007, 02:19:36 PM
Overall, I really like the stylized coloring and how it works with your style. It makes me want to see the characters in motion.
Thanks for the comments Mowgli... I have to admit that I'm very much influenced by Tartakovsky's work on "Samurai Jack" hence my use of flat panes of colour with only occasional instances of rendered textures and lighting.
I'm in a bit of a creative rut with the rest of the Seven Virtues... I'm building the characters around traditional samurai weapons (I already have two swordsmen and a
kyudo archer) and I'll be working on a
naginata-wielding female samurai next... I'm thinking of using a
kusari-gama and a
jutte, and maybe an
odachi... the thing is, those weapons don't really have an associated look with them (unlike the
tachi... which can easily be paired with the samurai armour or with a kimono, or the
yami, which is associated with the blue-white/black-white uniform of the
kyudoka).
Another Artist's Challenge update:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/artist_challenge_blocking03-1.jpg)
Click here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_samurai_04copy-1.jpg) for a larger version of the image.
I'm all samurai'ed out for the week... I think I'll be taking a break from the Challenge and work on some Ultimate-y stuff for a bit.
Just couldn't get into an "Ultimate" drawing mood today so I went back to finishing my Artist's Challenge entry... the 5th member of The Seven Virtues:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_samurai_tempcopy.jpg)
And here's how he'll look with the others:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/artist_challenge_blocking04.jpg)
i am incredibly impressed. you have influenced my art style as well as my wife.
have you ever done that exact technique with skins?
So i am guessing the yellow block will be a large bulky man, while the red will be a woman. It would make sense to have a woman in there for the simple reason that Samurai are supposed to be graceful in battle. :P
that yellow big guy has a huge sword!
Quote from: Nymph on May 06, 2007, 07:25:25 PM
So i am guessing the yellow block will be a large bulky man, while the red will be a woman. It would make sense to have a woman in there for the simple reason that Samurai are supposed to be graceful in battle. :P
The naginata wielder was supposed to be female (the purple figure) according to ZD. Also, this was considered a weapon appropriate for women of the samuri caste to wield. I'm not so sure it turned out that way. It's also an odd twist on the the Multiple Man power . . . Multiple Person? Multiple People? (Kind of redundant . . . .) PEOPLE PERSON!!!
Thanks for the comments guys!
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on May 07, 2007, 12:24:34 PM
The naginata wielder was supposed to be female (the purple figure) according to ZD. Also, this was considered a weapon appropriate for women of the samuri caste to wield. I'm not so sure it turned out that way.
Yeah, I think the shoulders I gave her were too wide-set, thus giving her a more androgynous shape. I'll try to change that. And the distinct lack of boobage (coupled with the "masculine" stance) with her and the archer probably make them too gender-ambiguous. Of course, the easy out would be to give them red lips, but that wouldn't work in the context (they're not geisha after all).
Quote from: bearded on May 06, 2007, 06:56:47 PM
have you ever done that exact technique with skins?
I remember trying it but I don't think I was too happy with the results. I might try skinning again at some point in the future and if I do, I'll definitely see about doing skins in a more flat, less rendered style.
Anyway, here's a more fun drawing... I wasn't so much concerned with proportions this time around, I was just basically doodling last night and came up with Ultimate Cloak and Dagger:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_cloakdaggercopy.jpg)
Yeah, I know Dagger can't levitate/fly but hey, it looks cool.
OMG! THEY RULE! :thumbup:
*drool*
Quote from: zuludelta on May 07, 2007, 01:31:01 PMQuote from: Uncle Yuan on May 07, 2007, 12:24:34 PM
The naginata wielder was supposed to be female (the purple figure) according to ZD. Also, this was considered a weapon appropriate for women of the samuri caste to wield. I'm not so sure it turned out that way.
Yeah, I think the shoulders I gave her were too wide-set, thus giving her a more androgynous shape. I'll try to change that. And the distinct lack of boobage (coupled with the "masculine" stance) with her and the archer probably make them too gender-ambiguous. Of course, the easy out would be to give them red lips, but that wouldn't work in the context (they're not geisha after all).
I have to disagree, I think both of them came out feminine enough to be noticed, at least by their hair, mode of dress, and even posture/stance. It isn't overt, but to me, both of them come off as female, and not a toss-up. I know that certain visual cues that the West associates with females was used by both sexes in Asian cultures (in that time period, and to some extent today), which makes it a little more difficult to portray in some artistic styles, but I don't think you fumbled it. Perhaps a slight narrowing of the waists could help with the visual.
Yeah, I must say, I totally saw them as female. If anything they just look strong and athletic, which they should.
Anyhow, Ultimate Cloak and Dagger... Pretty fun indeed. I could see them actually using that.
Hey Cloak looks extremely familiar :unsure:
Quote from: Panther_Gunn on May 07, 2007, 03:38:53 PM
Quote from: zuludelta on May 07, 2007, 01:31:01 PMQuote from: Uncle Yuan on May 07, 2007, 12:24:34 PM
The naginata wielder was supposed to be female (the purple figure) according to ZD. Also, this was considered a weapon appropriate for women of the samuri caste to wield. I'm not so sure it turned out that way.
Yeah, I think the shoulders I gave her were too wide-set, thus giving her a more androgynous shape. I'll try to change that. And the distinct lack of boobage (coupled with the "masculine" stance) with her and the archer probably make them too gender-ambiguous. Of course, the easy out would be to give them red lips, but that wouldn't work in the context (they're not geisha after all).
I have to disagree, I think both of them came out feminine enough to be noticed, at least by their hair, mode of dress, and even posture/stance. It isn't overt, but to me, both of them come off as female, and not a toss-up. I know that certain visual cues that the West associates with females was used by both sexes in Asian cultures (in that time period, and to some extent today), which makes it a little more difficult to portray in some artistic styles, but I don't think you fumbled it. Perhaps a slight narrowing of the waists could help with the visual.
And see, I didn't recognize either as female - but that could just be me. :unsure: Now that I know that I can go back and see it, but at first glance they both look male to me.
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to leave comments/view the images!
Quote from: Panther_Gunn on May 07, 2007, 03:38:53 PMI know that certain visual cues that the West associates with females was used by both sexes in Asian cultures (in that time period, and to some extent today), which makes it a little more difficult to portray in some artistic styles, but I don't think you fumbled it.
That's an interesting point. I'm of Asian descent myself and that could explain the discrepancy between the perception of gender (as a side note, and to sort of support this notion, note that in many instances of contemporary Asian pop art such as anime and manga, individuals can and do come off as being sexually ambiguous/monomorphic when it comes to their facial features).
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on May 07, 2007, 08:32:57 PM
And see, I didn't recognize either as female - but that could just be me.
Well, I've gone and made some tiny changes to the naginata-wielder... nothing too drastic (and not one deserving a new screen cap)... just narrowed the shoulders a little and reduced the shadow along her cheeks. To tell the truth, the shoulders had been bothering me even before I posted the image but I thought it was just me.
Thanks for all the feedback guys.
Quote from: UnkoMan on May 07, 2007, 06:13:27 PM
Anyhow, Ultimate Cloak and Dagger... Pretty fun indeed. I could see them actually using that.
I'm surprised they haven't already shown up in Ultimate Spider-Man, given Bendis' love for all things '80s.
Anyway, Here's Ultimate Sasquatch for all you Alpha Flight fans. Yes, all five of you :lol:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_sasquatchcopy.jpg)
I made a conscious decision to make him more ape-like (hence the gibbon-like limb proportions)... I imagine the Ultimate version of Sasquatch would be a mutant, something of an evolutionary throwback in terms of his physiotype, but retaining the genius intelligence of the 616 version (sort of like Beast).
Oh, and I gave him a pair of pants.
As a kid, one thing that always bothered me was how could metamorphic heroes like Sasquatch and Wolfsbane could somehow change from their feral, animal forms (where they're virtually naked except for a covering of bodily fur) into their human forms without having to put on their costumes. Was it ever explained in the comics (unstable molecule fabrics maybe)? Could you imagine being on the same team as the 616 version of Sasquatch? I mean, if I'm Guardian/Vindicator, I don't care if I've got a personal forcefield... I want something more substantial than matted orange hair separating me from my teammate's junk!
I'll try and do Ultimatize-d versions of the rest of the classic Flight line-up sometime in the future.
I like the art style you've got going here zulu :cool:
I'm not into "ultimizing" characters from the real Marvel Universe...so I can't say I like any of your ultimate redesigns. Taking the sais away from Elektra was a bad idea imho. Twin pistols are over done these days and it just turns her into another gun blazer in leather.
Like I said though...the work is excellent!
Heya Court, glad you're liking the style I'm employing in these images.
As for the "ultimatization" thing, I find that there's very little middle ground for a lot of comic book fans... they either like the idea or they don't... which I'm totally fine with... the whole impetus for me starting this thread was because I absolutely hated what they actually did (or didn't do, as it were) with Ultimate Punisher, Daredevil, and Elektra. I tend to view the whole thing (my coming up with my own "Ultimate" Marvel characters) as an exercise of sorts... for a lot of the images I've posted, I started out with a half-formed visual idea and just freely associated them with an existing Marvel character (or vice versa) and I find that I can come up with a whole image a lot quicker that way.
Thanks again for taking the time to look and post comments!
The problem with Marvel's Ultimate editorial crew is that they push less on creativity with the revamping/modernizing of the characters but more on just wiping the slate clean with the back story and changing the costume but only just enough that the less casual fan can still tell who it is. With the cases that Zulu pointed out initially they just changed the costume but are pretty much the same character even to the point that even DK's Marvel Encyclopedia accidently used the ultimate drawings for the 616 versions. That's where the problems for Ultimate Marvel are starting because they just refuse to change some characters too much for fear that the fans would not pick up the Ultimate version. Zulu has some pretty good concepts going thus far and shows that he has no fear in tweaking the concept down far enough to take it in the different direction (i.e. The Skateboarder Ghost Rider) because of following Marvel's own "rules" for that universe.
I love the look for his Ultimate Elektra but I'd make the guns katanas and then give her a far more sinister goth edge after her resurrection because she faced her own death. It might make for an interesting story to have her embrace her assassin side instead of repenting for it like her 616 counterpart did. But then again it's my take not his - especially I keep thinking of the Bride from Kill Bill when I think of assassin gone good.
Keep it up, Zulu! :thumbup:
- CrimsonQuill
I think Sasquatch is cute like that! :D
Thanks for the comments guys.
As I've stated before, one of the "rules" I'm following for making these Ultimate redesigns is the commonly known editorial mandate that limits creators from making "cosmic" or "mystic" characters (except of course, in the case of the Ultimate Fantastic Four where they kinda thrive on that type of thing... but even then, most cosmic/mystic entities introduced are simply explained away as alien and/or über-science that simply defies human understanding). Another implied rule in Ultimate character creation (as I've read numerous times from various creator and editor interviews) is that powered characters generally fall into one of three classes:
(a) mutant: those born with innate powers such as Ultimate Wasp or those who've gained powers in a non-hereditary fashion but whose genetic make-up is irrevocably altered and are likely to pass on their altered genetic make-up to their offspring (i.e.; Ultimate Spider-Man).
(b) "technological" hero: either augmented mechanically/cybernetically (i.e., Iron Man); or with drugs/chemicals (Ultimate Captain America, Ultimate Hulk, Ultimate Hank Pym) or even a combination of both (Ultimate Black Widow)
© Non-superpowered specialist: this is where guys like the Punisher and Ultimate Shang-Chi fall under.
Of course, there are exceptions, I've mentioned Dr. Strange and there are aliens such as Captain Marvel but I'd like to think that these are either unintentional oversights or the creators and editors ffelt that there was no way to re-create the character in the Ultimate universe without resorting to the "mysitc/cosmic" origin. Also, there's Ultimate Thor, who started as a "is he or isn't he?" god but... anyways, I won't ruin his true origin for those of you waiting for the final Ultimates 2 trade paperback.
With that digression out of the way, here's my take on Ultimate Brother Voodoo:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_brovoodcopy.jpg)
notes on the image:
- His get-up is inspired by the traditional description for Baron Samedi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Samedi), the voodoo loa (spirit/demi-god) associated with death.
- The partially obscured pattern behind him is a vevé (ritual inscription), just one of many associated with Baron Samedi, used to invoke his powers and protection.
Even wrote up a brief backstory:
Dr. Jericho Drumm is a trained ethnobotanist and pharmacologist, schooled in the use of plant-derived psychotropic and hallucinogenic substances. He is also an outspoken political activist, frequently railing against and drawing attention towards corrupt government and corporate officials. He leaves his native Haiti and moves to New York to escape political persecution, but his family pays the price... a hired death squad assassinates his brother. Drumm secretly negotiates a return to Haiti, and now wages a covert one-man war against those who would take advantage of his countrymen. Drumm takes to calling himself Brother Voodoo, donning the garb of the loa Baron Samedi to take advantage of the superstitious criminal population. He wields a cane that doubles as a blowgun, which he uses to fire darts dipped in various toxins and hallucinogens."
Heck yes! Baron Samedi's always been an awesome visual.
This is what the Ultimate universe SHOULD be doing, in my opinion. Taking characters that are treated as jokes, as Brother Voodoo often is, and making them into sweet looking, interesting people. I could totally see this guy getting an arc in... I don't know. Daredevil or something. (Or Moon Knight, if he were to get his own Ultimate book, which he should) He'd be doing all this dren that would make you expect magic, but in the end you'd find out it was just a bunch of trickery and he isn't magic at all... then give you a "OR IS IT?" cliffhanger ending. That's how the Ultimate style should be. More "realistic" as in things are explained away with science... but at the same time sort of walk the line. Leave us hanging.
But man, I haven't actually read that stuff since Spider-Man and X-Men only shipped in magazine format for the first couple issues.
Glad you liked my take on Brother Voodoo, unko. I can't even remember the last classic Brother Voodoo story I read... it might've been an old issue of Marvel Team-Up or something like that. As a side note, I think he's due for an appearance in an upcoming issue of New Avengers.
Anyways, here's my take on Guardian (of Alpha Flight and Omega Flight fame):
EDIT: Image updated in next post
As you can see, I've based the design of the Guardian suit on Masamune Shirow's Landmate battle suits from his Appleseed manga. I tried to make it a more sleek and slightly smaller version, although I did retain the small control arms that jut out from the suit's chest. How these work is that the mech's slave arms copy the movements of the operator's control arms, although the operator can also disengage the connection between the control arms and the slave arms, freeing up his own arms to do fine manipulation.
I even made a mock-up blueprint (showing the location of the operator, among other things), sort of like the ones that used to come with the the old 3 and 3/4" GI Joe vehicles:
EDIT: Image updated in next post
And here's a brief backstory:
The GUARDIAN (General Utility Armoured Infantry/Assault Neo-suit) tactical platform is Canada's response to SHIELD's growing Iron Man and Rocket Man programs. Based on the cybernetics work of Drs. James Macdonald Hudson and Heather Hudson, the GUARDIAN represents an alternative to Stark Industries' approach to cybernetic military technology. Operators of the GUARDIAN will not be required to have invasive and expensive hardwire implants to operate the suit (as currently required of the Iron Man and Rocket Man operators), but will instead interface with the suit using a combination of actuators and a trans-dermal sheath that conducts nerve and muscular impulses directly to the GUARDIAN's artificial neural net. While not as powerful and agile as the top-of-the-line Iron Man and Rocket Man models, the GUARDIAN requires less maintenance and is far more reliable and durable in battlefield conditions.
Just a real quick one this time... my take on Sunspot!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_sunspotcopy.jpg)
Didn't really change anything visually, I think Sunspot is one of the most solid designs in the Marvel U... just outfitted him in Brazilian-themed garb and had him in a capoiera pose.
:lol: That's freakin' great bro....I love it. :thumbup: And I really dig that guardian as well...very Appleseed/Patlabor! :D
Thanks for the comments bc!
I went back and re-did the head on the Guardian drawing... after looking at the original image, I decided that all the angular lines on the Robotech-inspired head were in conflict with the more rounded edges of the armour's body. Anyway, here's the updated version:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_guardiancopy3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_guardian_blueprintscopy-1.jpg)
Here's something different... an almost straight-up interpretation of Ultimate Black Widow (just moved the SHIELD insignia from her chest to her belt buckle):
EDIT: pic updated (thanks, Panther_Gunn!)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_black_widowcopy5.jpg)
I spent the bulk of the time working on this image trying to get the sniper rifle to sit right and I actually posed in the mirror for this one... I had a bugger of a time trying to get the perspective down.
My only problem with the Widow picture is technical, in regards to the pose. Her supporting hand (left) doesn't provide much control with her thumb down like that. At the very least, after the first shot, she's not going to have anywhere close to the same positioning with the rifle, as it will have slid off her hand. Granted, I don't know much about being a sniper ( ;)), but I do know it feels more natural, and is almost instinctual, to have the thumb spread out more, almost like when you go to pick up something cylindrical, like a can of soda, cradling the front of the weapon.
Quote from: Panther_Gunn on May 13, 2007, 11:11:57 PMHer supporting hand (left) doesn't provide much control with her thumb down like that.
Good catch PG... I should've caught that, too... having spent two years as a reservist, one of the things I should at least remember besides how to shine my boots is how to hold a rifle. Anyways, I've updated the pic with the correct hold. Also turned out to be a lot more work than I thought, after moving the thumb I had to move the head and rifle higher, good thing I didn't delete the working .PSD when I posted the first pic.
awsome black widow man! :thumbup:
Appreciate you taking the time to post in this thread Raijin!
Anyway, here's another drawing... it's Ghost Rider 2099:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/gr_2099copy-1.jpg)
For those of you not familiar with the character, the book was actually published during the mid-1990s, and was, in my opinion, the best of the Marvel 2099 titles. It starred a quasi-anarchist hero whose mind is trapped in the body of a battle droid (the flames are a holographic projection). It had great artists in Chris Bachalo and Ashley Wood (who drew the series' latter half). and a great cyberpunk vibe... in fact, I'd say that the protagonist, Zero Cochrane, was perhaps a spiritual predecessor of The Matrix's Neo. Of course, the myriad thematic similarities between Ghost Rider 2099 and the first Matrix movie is probably more due to the fact that both were highly influenced by William Gibson's Neuromancer, and not because the creators of the Matrix films were cribbing off of Len Kaminski's writing.
Zulu, I absolutely love these drawings!
First of all, the character just leaks out of each image. I think its because of this new style or something, but they are so much fun to look at. Secondly, the reimagined background stories make for an interesting read.
My favorite is Sunspot so far. Please, keep these coming.
P.S. Have you considered trying any cosmic/mystic characters yourself?
zulu, this pseudo animated style you have devolped and keep improving with every pic u post is actually impresive, i am in lovewith most of your desings,especially the cloak and dagger one, really creative urban look
I like the fact that you gave him simple white arms, with a bit of muscle. He doesn't have to be a complete skeleton. Smart choice. I also really enjoy your translation of fire. The stylized, curling colors look great! :thumbup:
Quote from: Mowgli on May 15, 2007, 04:04:49 PM
I like the fact that you gave him simple white arms, with a bit of muscle. He doesn't have to be a complete skeleton. Smart choice. I also really enjoy your translation of fire. The stylized, curling colors look great! :thumbup:
Ooops :doh:... I guess I wasn't very clear in my previous post., the Ghost Rider image isn't a re-imagining on my part, it's based on the actual look of the character as seen here (http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=list&title=35327859294&snumber=1). If there's anything I contributed to the design, it's probably my take on the stylized hologram flames. Glad you like the image though!
Quote from: juancho on May 15, 2007, 03:00:08 PM
zulu, this pseudo animated style you have devolped and keep improving with every pic u post is actually impresive, i am in lovewith most of your desings,especially the cloak and dagger one, really creative urban look
Thanks juancho!
Quote from: Figure Fan on May 15, 2007, 08:35:04 AM
Have you considered trying any cosmic/mystic characters yourself?
I dunno... I'll probably draw Blade at some point in the future, although I'll do it as a straight interpretation rather than a re-imagined, "Ultimate" look... he's pretty "ultimate" looking already in his 616 guise.
Thanks for looking and posting everybody!
Well, decided to try something different tonight... here's Deathblow (from the early 1990s Image Comic):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/deathblowcopy-1.jpg)
Not Ultimate Deathblow... just plain old Deathblow, tramping about in the snow. I tried to do a sort of homage to the old Jim Lee/TIm Sale look, keeping it grayscale except for the the two strips of red facepaint.
Cool style going on ZD. I realy like the stark white/black background on the Deatblow pic.
The folds in the fabric look great.
Thanks for looking and posting guys!
Quote from: psychopanda on May 17, 2007, 12:32:59 PM
I realy like the stark white/black background on the Deathblow pic.
Leave it to a panda to dig the black-and-white colour scheme :lol:
Here's an earlier drawing... I remember starting this back when I was still skinning for Freedom Force but never really went ahead and finished it (IIRC, I was doing the sketch in preparation for doing a skin/hex edit)... good thing I kept the scans of the original sketch. It's the UDON Studios version of Taskmaster from his 2002 mini-series (http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=list&title=86061801889&snumber=1):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/taskmastercopy-1.jpg)
One thing I like about doing straight-up interpretations of established characters is that I like the challenge of applying my own sensibilities to the character design. Hopefully I managed to stay true to the source material while having enough of my individual art style to come through (I just had to change the weapons from those blocky, "Liefeld" pistols to more realistic looking handguns!).
I'm actually surprised that the editors over at Marvel decided to revert Taskmaster to his old look. Don't get me wrong, his original costume is great but I think the overall reader reception for the updated costume was pretty good.
One thing that's always bothered me with how writers treat Taskmaster is that if he's supposed to be one of villaindom's premier butt-kickers, how come we always see him getting punked by all sorts of heroes? but this mini-series actually showed him winning for once... and I like how he isn't treated as a typical eeevil villain, but as more of a no-nonsense mercenary who just goes out and does the job that he's paid to do.
Anyways, here's an image I just wanted to show off... my 7-year old cousin saw me drawing in Photoshop when my aunt's family was visiting recently... apparently, he was so inspired that he went on the family's home computer that night, booted up MS Paint, and came up with this:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/liam_spiderman.jpg)
hey thats not bad at all :thumbup:
when i use ms paint their in scribbles
Hey, they're pretty good. When I was that age, I could never have pulled something like that off.
Your cousin's ones arn't bad either.
:P
I was so very disappointed when Marvel made this costume change. Taskmasters' original (and current, thankfully) is one of the best designs around. Throwing street hockey gear, a hoody, and...sigh...twin pistols on him was very lame.
Great pic though zulu! I love the action pose. :cool:
(and yes I am aware that my current av is sporting twin pistols :P)
I loved the UDON look taskmaster personally ^_^
very nice work ZD
Quote from: zuludelta on May 17, 2007, 07:31:20 PM
Leave it to a panda to dig the black-and-white colour scheme :lol:
Ironic, huh?! ;)
As to Taskmaster's reversion...I'm guessing there was enough clamor from old school fanboys. I'm rather shocked if there are enough of them to cause such a change, but in a way happy that it happened.
I think the costume could use a color revision, but I'd leave it essentially the same. As I get deeper into artists/writers before my generation, I'm understanding the need to maintain the essence of a character. Sure, I would be the first to agree with anyone else that the new Taksmaster costume looks "cool!". But is it really Taskmaster? I think it loses alot of what he was about, a multi-tasking thug who could pull out almost any weapon the superheroes had, right back at them. His flaw...a copy is not as good as the original, so he loses in the end. But to me, it's fun to like the loser sometimes as well.
The new one looks, well like alot of generic street heroes or villains. Heck, he could be the new Firefly on GI Joe or something.
Anyways enough of that tangent, great work...and keep drawing! :)
Quote from: Raijin on May 17, 2007, 10:00:09 PM
hey thats not bad at all :thumbup:
when i use ms paint their in scribbles
Quote from: Reepicheep on May 18, 2007, 12:05:09 AM
Your cousin's ones arn't bad either.
:P
Yeah, he's pretty bright for his age. I used to babysit him a lot (still do, but not as frequently) so I guess I'm to blame for his preoccupation with comic book art. The funny thing is, I was talking to his mum a couple of weeks ago and she was telling me this story about how they were at a Langley flea market and he literally jumped at a stack of old 1980s "Web of Spider-Man" comics... the seller was so pleasantly surprised to see a kid with a genuine interest in them.
Quote from: Courtnall6 on May 18, 2007, 07:31:14 AM
Throwing street hockey gear, a hoody, and...sigh...twin pistols on him was very lame.
The twin pistol thing does seem to be a very divisive issue when it comes to character design, you're definitely not the first person I've talked to (on-line or in person) who finds it ridiculous... I think much of the associated negativity stems from the fact that it was all the rage during the 1990s (and I think most of us can agree that a lot of the '90s comics were forgettable pap). I never really gave it much thought, though... just always assumed that it was an affectation unique to the era but had no feelings about it either way. Glad you dug the pose!
Quote from: UnfluffyBunny on May 18, 2007, 10:55:00 AM
I loved the UDON look taskmaster personally ^_^
I don't know why, but for some reason I thought you would :) Incidentally, I prefer it myself, but in a "Wolverine's brown costume vs.old yellow and blue costume" kind of way... I like both the original and the later costume, but always felt that the newer one was less garish in terms of colour.
Quote from: psychopanda on May 18, 2007, 12:32:31 PM
I would be the first to agree with anyone else that the new Taksmaster costume looks "cool!". But is it really Taskmaster? I think it loses alot of what he was about, a multi-tasking thug who could pull out almost any weapon the superheroes had, right back at them.
Good point about the UDON design sort of losing a lot of the elements originally associated with the Taskmaster. I guess that the 2002 costume does fail in communicating that particular aspect of the character. Sure the new costume had wrist attachments that could generate "hard energy" facsimiles of Cap's shield, Spidey's webs, and Wolvie's claws but unless the reader were to see them in action, it wasn't really all that apparent. What I think it does succeed at doing is making a worthwhile character more appealing to a different, perhaps a younger, reader demographic that would have dismissed him in his original costume.
Thanks for all the comments guys!
I'm going to pipe in here. Twin pistols are... awesome. I can understand why people don't like them, and yeah they got waaaaay overused, but they are still rad. You want to know why? The Shadow. Really, do I need to say more? There have been tons of other characters who have made twin pistols work, and work well.
On Taskmaster, they work well. That's not to say he should only use them, he shouldn't. He has an in-character reason to use any and every type of weapon available (as long as he'd have been able to view experts using them). But yeah, I thought they worked really well. I didn't like the "hoodie" look at first either, but it actually makes more sense than a cape, and the padding makes a lot of sense too. Plus, come on... that mask is way cooler than a simple skull. Not to say skulls aren't sweet, but aren't there enough fellas floating out there? But who has a mask like this? Nobody.
And I've got to say... I love how your cousin used the same head shape over. It's really cool, that he had the good sense to do that.
Been busy helping a fellow FR'er with a personal art project, so i haven't been able to do any new drawings for the past few days (it also didn't help that I was in Whistler over the past weekend). Running low on inspiration today, though, so I decided to do a straight-up rendition of a Marvel character to get the creative juices flowing. Here's Silver Surfer:
EDIT: pic updated, see my subsequent posts
He's always been one of my favourite superheroes, both from a visual standpoint and character-wise. In my opinion, he stands as perhaps the most iconic of Jack Kirby's designs. It works so well that most people who view him just plain miss how ridiculous the idea of an alien on a surfboard is (which I've attempted to remedy by drawing the board as simply an extension of his metallic form which he extrudes when he is in flight, much in the same way it was done by Brandon Peterson in the Ultimate Galactus trilogy).
Very cool. My only suggestion would be, make the front of the board less angular and more rounded. The way it is now, his movement flows and then stops right in front of us.
Loving the art Zulu. Keep it up.
-MJB
Quote from: psychopanda on May 24, 2007, 12:21:49 PM
My only suggestion would be, make the front of the board less angular and more rounded.
Good catch 'panda, updated the pic with your suggestion.
...I actually kinda liked the old board. The new one is nice though, and makes more sense.
The only problem I had with it was the arm coming towards us. Forshortening is tough obviously, especially with this "focus just on outlines" style, but it looks a bit clunky to me.
You know what isn't clunky though? The face! The face is sheer awesome and, as it should be, has the highest detail. I love it.
And come on, don't all aliens fly around on surfboards... or skis?
Quote from: UnkoMan on May 24, 2007, 04:26:48 PM
The only problem I had with it was the arm coming towards us. Forshortening is tough obviously, especially with this "focus just on outlines" style, but it looks a bit clunky to me.
Yeah, I was halfway through with the drawing when I realized that the angle I chose would make it a little tough to sell the foreshortening on the left arm. The easiest way to do it would be to make the hand bigger than it really should be, Kirby-style, and give some more visual cues to indicate where the elbow should be:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/silver_surfercopy2-1.jpg)
Better?
Quote from: zuludelta on May 24, 2007, 02:17:41 PM
Good catch 'panda, updated the pic with your suggestion.
I think that's working alot better. :)
Totally agreed. You've got it down now.
Thanks for all the feedback guys... here's a little something different... it's my take on Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/sanctumcopy.jpg)
I'll probably keep tinkering with this scene on and off... maybe add some floating wizard pedestrians and air-whales and whatnot.
Cool! If you want a more ancient feel, you could make the pipes more like an aqueduct/brick tunnel.
There's a funny story told by one of the Comic pros...something about them making a trip to the address of Dr. Strange's Sanctorum (it's given in one of the books)...well whatever was there, looks nothing like the Strange's house! I think there is a building that looks alot like Avenger's building though.
Quote from: psychopanda on May 25, 2007, 11:35:00 AM
There's a funny story told by one of the Comic pros...something about them making a trip to the address of Dr. Strange's Sanctorum (it's given in one of the books)...well whatever was there, looks nothing like the Strange's house!
IIRC, the address (which escapes me right now) was actually a tiny apartment being shared by the Strange Tales writer and artist at the time. it was one of those deals where the place was so tiny they had to fold/dismantle the artist's desk/lightbox just to have enough room to lie down and sleep or something.
Quote from: ips on May 25, 2007, 12:22:53 PM
zuu i miss your skins. you're such a fantastic artist. :)
Thanks for the compliments... coming from you, that's high praise indeed. I haven't been skinning for a good long while now, I've pretty much moved from PC to console gaming but who knows, maybe the itch will hit me one of these days.
Anyway, I'm collaborating with my older brother on a series of Punisher images... he's a huge Punisher fan and the real artist in the family, I'm just the space-cadet/slacker middle offspring :lol: I'm surprised we haven't actually worked together on anything, despite the fact that he's been a professional in the commercial art/gaming business for a few years now and that he knows that I dabble off and on in it myself. Here's a look at the partially completed first image (it's actually a full body shot):
EDIT: pic removed, updated images in my subsequent post
He did some real tight pencils, and I'm almost sorry that I have to cover the linework with my colouring (no inking!). Still needs a bit of work... the colours aren't final, they're just to help me visualize everything and I'll probably revisit the face when all is said and done.
I'll probably dedicate a whole series of posts (or maybe even a thread) showing the process from pencils, to clean-up, to colours.
We've been talking about pitching a mini-series or something (a lá Marvel's
1602 but set in a different milieu), but nothing really fully formed right now and these images are sort of a test case to see how well we work together.
Quote from: zuludelta on May 25, 2007, 03:10:26 PM
IIRC, the address (which escapes me right now) was actually a tiny apartment being shared by the Strange Tales writer and artist at the time. it was one of those deals where the place was so tiny they had to fold/dismantle the artist's desk/lightbox just to have enough room to lie down and sleep or something.
I hadn't heard that before!
Does your brother work for EA? Can't remember if you live in Vancouver, but I remember seeing the building when we were walking around.
Quote from: psychopanda on May 25, 2007, 05:06:07 PM
Quote from: zuludelta on May 25, 2007, 03:10:26 PM
IIRC, the address (which escapes me right now) was actually a tiny apartment being shared by the Strange Tales writer and artist at the time. it was one of those deals where the place was so tiny they had to fold/dismantle the artist's desk/lightbox just to have enough room to lie down and sleep or something.
I hadn't heard that before!
I think it was Bill Everett's address - he followed Ditko on Doc Strange - it was the apartment that he shared with a much younger Roy Thomas, and someone else. As I recall, Everett slept on the couch.
ZD hI have been really enjoying your work in this thread.
Thanks for the responses and thread views guys, and I'm glad you like what you see doctorchallenger!
Quote from: psychopanda on May 25, 2007, 05:06:07 PM
Does your brother work for EA? Can't remember if you live in Vancouver, but I remember seeing the building when we were walking around.
My brother works for an independent studio, but they occasionally get contracted by EA and other game publishers and companies to create content. And yeah, EA has it's offices in Burnaby, which is sort of a Vancouver suburb.
Well, here's part 1 of the Punisher series I'm doing with my brother:
Pencils:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/punisher_01_pencils.jpg)
final image (resized to fit the forums... actual image is 1000 pixels x 2000 pixels in 300 dpi):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/punisher_01copy-1.jpg)
Notes:
- the colour scheme for his quasi-costume is loosely based on Tim Bradstreet's Punisher covers (http://www.comicartcommunity.com/gallery/details.php?image_id=6191)
- the handguns are Sig-Sauer P-226s (for those of you who're into that kind of thing)... I think I read in an old issue of
The Punisher's Armory (just one of the gazillion Punisher spin-offs they pumped out in the 1990s) that he uses a Llama .380 and a .45 caliber semiauto (rechambered for 9 mm ammo) as his preferred sidearms, but the SIGs make more sense to me... higher magazine capacity and better reliability overall, seems like the kind of weapons Frank Castle would prefer.
Niiiiiiiiice!
Excellent! :thumbup:
Stepping away from the Marvel universe for a minute, here's Storm Shadow, based on one of my favourite action figures of all time, the 1988 Storm Shadow (http://www.yojoe.com/action/88/stormshadow2.shtml):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/stormshadowcopy-1.jpg)
notes:
- the tattoo on his right forearm is 既濟, Symbol 63 of the I Ching (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching_hexagram_63#Hexagram_63) (The Book of Changes), which is used by the fictional Arashikage Clan (to which Snake-Eyes also belongs to) as their sort of family symbol. The hexagram itself has many interpretations but it is most commonly read as "in completion". The trigram order (water over fire) is also sometimes interpreted to mean persistence or perseverance.
- his left hand is posed to form one-half of the 九字印 (kuji-in: the nine mystic seals) hand symbol for 臨 (rin), which in ninjutsu is used to invoke strength (no, he isn't flipping the bird to the guy on his left). This practice of using manual representations of the nine seals to grant the user power/insight is also called Nine Hands Cutting.
Very nice work Zulu, you probably know how big a fan I am of the JOEs. I knew Hama was knowledgable, but I didn't realize that he was as accurate as all of that. Nice to know!
Quote from: BentonGrey on May 28, 2007, 08:17:58 AMI knew Hama was knowledgable, but I didn't realize that he was as accurate as all of that. Nice to know!
Larry Hama was really into Eastern philosophy, and it showed in how he wrote Storm-Shadow's views on violence and warfare. He also wrote in a lot of socio-political commentary in what was a pretty much a toy marketing tie-in that I think was pretty ingenious at the time... he was quite critical of Reagan's foreign "policy" (if you could even call it that) and he even managed to satirize the first Gulf War when he wrote the Trucial Abysmia invasion. Excellent and intelligent stuff, especially when you read it with the benefit of hindsight and a knowledge of the context of the times.
I did realize that about the other factors, and I can't tell you how much respect I have for him as a writer....really makes me weep when I compare it to the new comics. Anyroad, he really wrote some great stories.
These are looking great ZD. Have you considered trying a few comic pages, just to see how they look in page layout?
Quote from: Glitch Girl on May 28, 2007, 07:26:55 PM
These are looking great ZD. Have you considered trying a few comic pages, just to see how they look in page layout?
Thanks GG!
I've toyed around with the idea of doing a comic book (I've got a few sketchbooks worth' of gag strips and one-off short stories)... and I've got a couple of things going on in the background that might eventually see the light of day. Like I mentioned earlier in this thread, my brother and I have talked about maybe pitching a concept for a mini-series to a major publisher one of these days (although he'll be handling the bulk of the art chores) but right now we're just at the "sitting around and talking over a couple beer" stage.
Thought I'd show my second GI Joe piece... it's Snake-Eyes:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/snakeeyescopy3.jpg)
It's based on his original "commando" costume (which is the one that I prefer), but I added the sword from the second version of the toy (just to get that ninja look going).
Also, here's the second Punisher collaboration piece I did with my older brother:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/punisher_02copy-1.jpg)
It's supposed to be an homage to his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #129 (http://www.samruby.com/AmazingSpider-ManF/Large/AmazingSpider-Man129.jpg), and maybe, if I have the time in the not-too distant future, I'll do an actual comic book cover mock-up complete with an updated Spidey in the crosshairs. Go back a page or click here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/punisher_01copy-1.jpg) to see the first Punisher image we collaborated on.
Nice blacks on the Punisher. Looks like you're shooting for Bradstreet in the face, no?
Ahh, I was hoping you'd take SE on, one of my favorite characters....ever...I see you went with the commando look, cool stuff. I've always been partial to his second costume. (Although I loved how Hama didn't even TRY to explain why he all of a sudden decided to switch) Still, the commando looks is awesome. I always liked the visor from the second one best. Did you read GI JOE reborn? I think there version was something of an amalgam, with the commando uniform and the visor of the ninja suit. Anyroad, nice work. That Punisher is really fantastic as well.
Thanks for the commments and threadviews everyone!
Quote from: psychopanda on May 30, 2007, 10:08:45 AM
Nice blacks on the Punisher. Looks like you're shooting for Bradstreet in the face, no?
It's definitely inspired by the Max Punisher art, sort of an amalgamation between Bradstreet and Lewis Larosa/Leandro Fernandez's interior art... although as I mentioned to my bro, he looks a little like a grizzled Craig T. Nelson.
Quote from: BentonGrey on May 30, 2007, 09:41:36 PMDid you read GI JOE reborn? I think there version was something of an amalgam, with the commando uniform and the visor of the ninja suit.
I tried reading some of the Devil's Due GI Joe stuff but I just couldn't get into them for some reason. The writer (was it Brandon Jerwa? I forget) can definitely write dialogue in a style consistent with Hama's work, but it's just missing, I don't know what to call it... Hama's sense of relevance. With Hama's early-to-mid Joe work (everything up until issue #110, I guess), it felt like he was trying to communicate something bigger besides just telling a good, action-oriented story. Today's stuff... not so much (and even Hama's current GI Joe work seems to be missing a little something... I think his work on GI Joe, Nth Man, and Wolverine were products of their time as much as they were of his singular talent, so we might never see him hit it out of the ballpark in the same way... sort of how like Chris Claremont could never top his 1980s run on the X-Men no matter how hard he tried).
I might try doing my own "Ultimate" versions of some of my favourite GI Joes and Cobras though. I always liked drawing Cobras and the Dreadnoks when I was a kid, they always seemed that much cooler.
A quick take on Sunfire:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/sunfirecopy.jpg)
I like it......i especially like how you went with his horseman look. (That was my favorite!) :thumbup:
Niiice! Sunfire looks awesome!
a w e s o m e
Horseman? Isn't that just his AoA costume? Either way, it's great. :)
Joe Madureira is a costume design god. Awful human being, but dayum... he draws some purty tights.
Quote from: captainspud on June 01, 2007, 11:16:06 PM
Horseman? Isn't that just his AoA costume? Either way, it's great. :)
Joe Madureira is a costume design god. Awful human being, but dayum... he draws some purty tights.
Just out of curiosity why was he a terrible human being?
And is he the one responsible for all of the AoA designs or just Sunfire? Cause seriously they are easily some of my favorite costumes for several characters.
He did the bulk of them.
I love his work, but I hate him as a person because he decided that playing video games 24/7 was more important than making comics. Battle Chasers started out bi-monthly... the last issue came out 13 months after the penultimate.
I was 13, and he was my hero. He broke my heart. I wish he still made comics so I could not buy them in protest.
Good news for you Spud. He is currently working on Ultimates 3.
Back on subject I like that design for Sunfire, I'm not sure it is better than the original but I really like your take on him.
-MJB
Quote from: captainspud on June 01, 2007, 11:16:06 PM
Horseman? Isn't that just his AoA costume? Either way, it's great. :)
Sunfire now wears a similar costume to his AOA costume after he was made into a horseman.
Anyways, very nice zulu. Will there be a full drawing of him coming our way?
Wow... some of these comments suddenly made me feel old. I associate the Madureira design with the Age of Apocalypse event and it seems that there are people reading comics now who only started reading after that crossover and more readily associate it with the current Horseman story. Sort of like how I felt when my younger cousin (he's 8) asked me why I had a "fake" playstation gamepad... referring to the old, version 1 playstation controller that I keep on my desk (the one without the analog sticks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Playstation_Controller.jpg)). I can't believe it's been 12 years since 1995!
Quote from: Previsionary on June 02, 2007, 02:58:58 AM
Anyways, very nice zulu. Will there be a full drawing of him coming our way?
Maybe... I'm in the process of redefining how I draw and digitally paint, I want to move towards an even less-rendered, less detailed look which should allow me to work faster and make it easier for me to draw action scenes and backgrounds... I want to go for a look that's easily reproducible (similar to the Timm/Dini Batman, Glen Murakami Teen Titans, and Tartakovsky Samurai Jack aesthetic) but still recognizable as being unique.
Man I need to check the art forum more often...
You've got some good stuff here Zulu. I'm particularly liking your Sunfire. I just skinned that look and it's pretty cool seeing someone elses art of what I've always felt was a fantastic design.
Hey Zulu, been looking through this thread and the new style you've developed is incredible, its like a american animation meets pop art meets vectors mix that really does it for me, my favorites have been the different incarnations of the punisher, brilliant stuff, keep up the good work.
great work on sunfire zulu!
Thanks for all the views and replies, guys. Took a bit of a break from doing anything Photoshop, but now I'm back. Here's a quick one:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/pman_ifistcopy.jpg)
Now this one is fantastic, great colours, great composition, just all-round quality! its great to see this dup together in their classic costumes, love the way you've done the ninja hordes too.
Power Man & Iron Fist equals awesome.
Nice drawing. My only suggestion would be that the details on Iron Fist's skin should be a touch darker. It's hard to make the lines out. Other than that it looks great.
-MJB
Nice job ZD! Love the the way Iron Fist's hands are posed. Iron Fist and Power Man are kind of merging together in the yellows. I would suggest adding something (darker colors, shadows) to separate the two. Looking really cool though.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys, great point about needing more delineation for the details. I'm still working on getting a consistent look that I want... I've been reading a lot of artist interviews over the past month, as well as practicing my figure-drawing skills using a mouse (I've never been able to get fully comfortable with a WACOM tablet)... it used to be, around 50% of the time, I'd draw something on paper, scan it in, and then refine the image with Photoshop but I'm getting confident enough with my mouse-drawing skills that I'm thinking of skipping the pen & paper phase altogether (saves a lot of time, especially since my scanner takes forever to warm up).
Anyway, here's an old image I dug up:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ddcopy.jpg)
Pencils by my older brother... I think this was from 3 or 4 years ago, I saw a few Marvel sketches in his portfolio and asked if I could ink/colour over them (I remember displaying my efforts here during an earlier incarnation of these boards). Anyways, I was doing some hard drive housecleaning and found some of the old scans and decided to rework them (I've got a Hulk image up next).
That's pretty awesome! Any chance I could get a larger size for wallpaper?
Again that is an awesome image but I think that the shadows should be a bit darker.
Hulk is next?! I am the biggest Hulk fan on these forums and I say... " Zulu SMASH!".
-MJB
Quote from: psychopanda on July 02, 2007, 02:57:33 PM
That's pretty awesome! Any chance I could get a larger size for wallpaper?
Glad you like it 'panda. You can save a higher resolution version (870 x 1024 pixels) of the image here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ddcopy2.jpg). Let me know if you want an actual wallpaper of it (you'll need to give me your desktop resolution, of course).
Quote from: MJB on July 03, 2007, 02:33:52 AM
Again that is an awesome image but I think that the shadows should be a bit darker.
Hulk is next?! I am the biggest Hulk fan on these forums and I say... " Zulu SMASH!".
More like "Zulu smashed" :lol: ... ugh, it seems like every year I go toe-to-toe drinking with my dad during the Canada Day long weekend and every year I end up on the short end of the hangover stick.
Anyways, as promised, a revision of an image I collaborated on with my brother back in 2002, it's a PO'd Hulk (is there any other kind?) facing down a trio of AK-47s:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/hulkcopy.jpg)
Awesome!
I demand a 1024x768 sized wallpaper! DEMAND I say!!
((:P Ummm... please? Heh.))
-MJB
Ask and ye shall receive.
I've also made wallpapers using a few of the other images I worked on, just click on the thumbnails below to view and download the embiggened (1024 x 768) versions:
Hulk wallpaper: Ghost Rider 2099 wallpaper:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/hulk_wp_prev.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/hulk_wp_1024x768.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/gr2099_wp_prev.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/gr2099_wp_1024x768.jpg)
Daredevil wallpaper: Silver Surfer wallpaper:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/dd_wp_prev.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/dd_wp_1024x768.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ss_wp_prev.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ss_wp_1024x768.jpg)
Mmmmmm... wallpapery goodness!
-MJB
Nice ZD! I'm collecting them all! :)
Ooooo - shineys! Thanks ZD - these look awesome! I might even have to give Blkcasanova's excellent UY a little time off for a while . . .
NOOOOO!!!! Yuan say it ain't so? :(....Nah...go for it.. these wallpapers are excellent! Nice work Zulu! :thumbup: sumbliminal message: Don't do it Uncle Yuan! Don't do it Uncle Yuan! Don't do it Uncle Yuan!
:dreamy voice:
must . . . not . . . change . . . wallpaper . . . :wacko:
Glad you guys are digging the wallpapers... if anybody wants wallpapers made out of any of the previous images I posted, jest let me know in this thread or PM me, it's no trouble at all for me to cobble one together.
Anyway, here's the third (in a series of lord knows how many) Punisher image I've done with my brother.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/punisher_03copy.jpg)
To view the two prior Punisher collaborations I did with him, go back a page or two or click here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/punisher_02copy-1.jpg) and here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/punisher_01copy-1.jpg).
As I've said before... he's a huge Punisher fan. How huge? He's been working on-and-off on a Punisher conversion mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for most of the last 5 months:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/badassMF.jpg)
(Anybody who's played the game will notice the M-60 and Hummer are totally new additions to the game... also, that's a totally resculpted head on the Punisher model).
Anyways, I'm doing my own part to feed his obsession by colouring and digitally inking his Punisher pencil sketches.
oh man playing as frank would motivate me to sit through that whole game all over again! that looks great!
Something different this time around... I've been neglecting my life-drawing skills the past year or two, although I was never that good in the first place. Here's a portrait of a friend of mine based on a photo:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/xencopy.jpg)
I was going to lightbox the source photo but ended up doing a more traditional method of blowing it up: overlaying a grid on the photo and then reproducing the image on an upscaled version of the grid... you've probably seen street portrait artists do a similar thing when they're copying a photo. Incidentally, that's also how they make the gigantic, billboard-sized, painted movie posters (http://static.flickr.com/34/72615263_ab95ebf9dc.jpg) in some third world countries, where hiring a painter to do it is still cheaper than having the gigantic sheets printed. I actually saw one being done (I think it was for Robocop 3) when I was still living in the Philippines.
It's nice to see how your new style translates to "real life".
-MJB
this is great work zulu!!!
how do u do it!?
Quote from: Raijin on July 11, 2007, 08:57:45 PM
how do u do it!?
Glad you like it, but working off of a photo is a lot easier than it looks, and in my opinion is easier than creating original images for the most part, and is definitely easier than working accurately off of life, like live models and such (which I find extremely challenging)... for one thing, referencing a photograph takes the guesswork out of the actual composition. It's still fun, though, if you like the nuts and bolts of drawing.
Just a quick Logan face study to start the day:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie_face.jpg)
I've always wondered how Logan keeps his hair up... it's probably a combination of not showering too often and naturally wiry hair.
Well, decided to finish the rest of the Wolverine image:
EDIT: image updated, check below for the revised pic
The costume is based on his default look in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance game.
Overall, I think the Wolvie image looks good, except for the left hand. With the perspective, I'm not 100% sure the claws are all the way out or not. If they're still in the process of coming out, the back of his hand should still be in line with his forearm (as that's where they reside....which I'm sure you know). The easiest fix would be to just lengthen what's out on that hand, so they look like they're all the way out. Unless I'm missing something, of course. :P
Quote from: Panther_Gunn on July 12, 2007, 10:47:39 PM
Overall, I think the Wolvie image looks good, except for the left hand. With the perspective, I'm not 100% sure the claws are all the way out or not. If they're still in the process of coming out, the back of his hand should still be in line with his forearm (as that's where they reside....which I'm sure you know). The easiest fix would be to just lengthen what's out on that hand, so they look like they're all the way out. Unless I'm missing something, of course. :P
Yeah, the claws are bothering me a bit... I've been looking at my fist in the mirror with pens between my fingers to try and get the perspective right. I'll probably go in and change them later.
Wolverine image updated (thanks PG!):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolviecopy2.jpg)
Ultimate Dazzler:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_dazzlercopy.jpg)
I dropped Ultimate X-Men months before she first appeared, but I like how they reinterpreted Dazzler as a punk kid (of course, the code name "Dazzler" doesn't sound like something a punk rocker would choose, except as a tongue-in-cheek type of thing). I based the guitar off of my dad's old Fender Jazzmaster... it was a weird thing that was made in Japan, it would feedback on you if you so much as looked at it wrong and it was missing the pickup selectors that were standard on other Jazzmasters. I remember using it for a gig back in college, we were playing at some fraternity party, doing a cover of The Commodores' "Easy" and the thing just started buzzing and feedbacking, turning the normally sedate R & B classic into something out of a Thurston Moore fever dream. Good times, good times.
Maybe his was just broken, needed new pickups or something. :blink:
I love those Jazzmasters!
Quote from: captainspud on July 14, 2007, 09:36:28 AM
Maybe his was just broken, needed new pickups or something. :blink:
Quote from: Tortuga on July 14, 2007, 09:56:58 AM
I love those Jazzmasters!
Jazzmasters were actually quite notorious for the amount of unwanted hum their single-coils produced, but my dad's was an order of magnitude worse. It might've been poor magnetic shielding for all I know, since it was a cobbled together frankenstein thing by the time I started using it... it had a bolt-on Jaguar neck and a stripped-down Jaguar switching system that my older brother had put in when it was his main guitar, so who knows what was going on in there.
As many of you here may know, I'm a big Image Comics/Wildstorm Studios fan from the 1990s, although these days, I'm primarily interested in their characters more for nostalgia than anything else. In retrospect, a lot of those books were horribly written (whatever happened to Brandon Choi?), and the majority of the art was laughably derivative. Still, they were fun for the first 2 or 3 years of publishing, and the artists' and writers' unabashed enthusiasm just about made up for the sophomoric plotting, general lack of focus, and scattershot quality control.
Anyways, I'm planning on doing my version of perennial fan-favourite, the WildCATs (Ultimate WildCATs? All-Star WildCATs? WildCATs Reloaded?). I'm not sure if I'm doing re-interpretations of all the characters (I'm not too fond of Warblade), but I'm definitely doing Grifter, Zealot, Spartan, Maul, and Ladytron.
With that long-winded intro out of the way, here's a look at Cole Cash, a.k.a. Grifter:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_griftercopy01.jpg)
First thing I did was replace the original oh-so-'90s mask and the "Image mullet" with a more practical "bandito" bandanna and crew cut (he was pretty conspicuous, especially considering that he was supposed to be a member of a "Covert Action Team"). Next to go was the green trenchcoat (never liked trenchcoats on superheroes), replaced with the top from a military BDU, as a nod to his days as a Special Forces operative. Finally, I got rid of the odd-looking "plasma" pistols (I remember them being drawn almost like portable steam irons at some point) and gave him a pair of Browning semiautomatics. I'm planning on doing the rest of the characters in a way that I can integrate them all into one huge group shot when they're all done.
Quote from: zuludelta on July 11, 2007, 11:51:41 PM
Glad you like it, but working off of a photo is a lot easier than it looks, and in my opinion is easier than creating original images for the most part, and is definitely easier than working accurately off of life, like live models and such (which I find extremely challenging)... for one thing, referencing a photograph takes the guesswork out of the actual composition. It's still fun, though, if you like the nuts and bolts of drawing.
Interesting. As an exercise, I tried looking at a comic page and recreating it (great for trying to pick up some techniques). I found it more difficult, because I was attempting to draw in someone else's style and also getting everything to line up on the page as they did. I guess when someone draws from a photo that they are acutally interpreting the image in their own drawing style, so it would seem easier. Funny how the two can be so different.
ps- Nice Grifter! My faves from that book were Grifter, Spartan, Maul, Void, and the trio of Villains, (forgetting all their names...) which included Pike.
Quote from: psychopanda on July 16, 2007, 01:22:23 PMNice Grifter! My faves from that book were Grifter, Spartan, Maul, Void, and the trio of Villains, (forgetting all their names...) which included Pike.
Glad you like my take on Grifter.
As for the villains, that was the Triad (although they were also referred to as the Troika), which didn't include Pike, BTW (I think my comic book nerdity is showing). Pike and an unnamed Coda assassin were attached as Helspont's bodyguards. The Triad, which consisted of Slag, Attica, and H.A.R.M. were the Gnome's personal guard in the first mini-series. Come to think of it, I never did figure out what H.A.R.M. stood for.
Huge, Articulated, Robotic Man? Highly Accessorized Retail Model? Hard-áss Rustbucket Mo'Fo? Hilarious Acronym Resource Machine? Anyways, here's a work-in-progress of Maxine Manchester, a.k.a. Ladytron:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_maxine_WIP.jpg)
Haven't really done much in redesigning her aside from recolouring her eyes (for that Terminator red pupil look), it's one of my favourite superhero looks of all time, and I don't want to mess too much with the formula.
Quote from: zuludelta on July 17, 2007, 04:01:59 PM
I think my comic book nerdity is showing
*covers eyes*
Honestly Zulu, put that thing away. There are children around here. :P
But on a more serious matter, those pics look pretty awesome. Keep the goodness coming
Quote from: zuludelta on July 17, 2007, 04:01:59 PMAs for the villains, that was the Triad (although they were also referred to as the Troika), which didn't include Pike, BTW (I think my comic book nerdity is showing).
:banghead: Doh!
It's been ages since I read those comics, but I remember now. Pike probably stuck out because he was the only villain I liked, besides the members of the Triad.
Here's Ladytron:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_maxinecopy.jpg)
Now, before you hit that "reply" button and start getting all indignant about the depiction of an inverted American flag let me explain my use of the image and save you the time and trouble. The practice of displaying an inverted flag is used to indicate distress in an emergency... used outside of this context, the image is otherwise considered by some as a deliberate insult directed at the institutions and entities it represents. However, the inverted flag is also used in many instances as a sign of political protest and it is in this context that I am using the image. The character has always been portrayed to be a contrarian and downright nihilist, so the decision to emblazon the inverted flag on her shirt is just my way of getting that point across with the image.
I thought the inverted flag was a sign of surrender . . .
Whew! I almost hit the reply button!
Oh wait, but I did. Oh, but I haven't hit the post button yet, so I am ok. Another emergency averted. Luckily!
I like it, the design is very smooth. It would look great on an album cover or something. If I had to nitpick on something, I'd say the left hand looks a little off. The shading is a little too thick on the fingers. That's if I had to nitpick, which I don't feel like I really need to do.
Ok, I should go get some coffee. Hmm...what's this shiny button...here...maybe I will...*click*
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on July 18, 2007, 07:04:24 AM
I thought the inverted flag was a sign of surrender . . .
It might be in other countries I am unfamiliar with, although from what I've read, most countries consider the inverted flag as appropriate as a distress signal (this is where its use in popular protest originates from... during the 1969s and 1970s, some civil rights groups of various affiliations would display an inverted flag to symbolize their assertion that their particular segment of society was being imperiled). Obviously, you can't do that with some other countries' flag designs (Japan, for instance, would look the same inverted or upright). In my native Philippines, an inverted flag means something else entirely: when inverted (with the red side on top), it is used to indicate that the nation is in a state of war.
Quote from: psychopanda on July 18, 2007, 07:28:10 AM
I like it, the design is very smooth. It would look great on an album cover or something. If I had to nitpick on something, I'd say the left hand looks a little off. The shading is a little too thick on the fingers. That's if I had to nitpick, which I don't feel like I really need to do.
Strangely enough, the more I look at it, the less satisfied I am with the Ladytron pic. I'm actually thinking of re-doing it from the ground-up. I think it's probably because I went with the first pose I came up with in the hopes that with spontaneity would come with it some energy (unlike the Grifter image, where I went through around 3 or 4 poses before settling on one that I liked)... she doesn't look angry enough to me.
I wasn't too happy with how the final Ladytron image came out so I spent last night re-doing it:
EDIT: Image updated, check below for the new image
I'm a bit more satisfied with how this one turned out but I might make some more changes to it as I round out the rest of the WildCATs team and assemble them into one larger image.
That first Ladytron, I love. Her right foot is a bit small, it seems. Other than that I don't know what you didn't like. She looks great.
This second one, however, I don't like as much. The head is nice, but the neck ends up looking super thick. Obviously, it would be, but with the thinness of her apendages, it seems odd. Her torso also seems very wide. And then she's just got the spinal collum connector. Very Terminator. Personally I prefer my Ladytron to be more "motorbike," if that makes sense. I think something inbetween (similar to the first image) would just seem a bit more natural.
Grifter looks cool too. I don't even like the WildCATS, mostly (But I knew them from the cartoon. I didn't have time for Image comics, except the Maxx. Except I love Ladytron anyhow.) but I look forward to seeing your interpretations.
Quote from: UnkoMan on July 19, 2007, 01:45:08 PM
This second one, however, I don't like as much. The head is nice, but the neck ends up looking super thick. Obviously, it would be, but with the thinness of her apendages, it seems odd. Her torso also seems very wide. And then she's just got the spinal collum connector. Very Terminator. Personally I prefer my Ladytron to be more "motorbike," if that makes sense. I think something inbetween (similar to the first image) would just seem a bit more natural.
All good points. You're right about the thickness of the neck being a bit of a distraction, and I'll see if I can fill out her torso a bit. As I said, I'm not entirely finished with it, but the second version is probably a good approximation of the final look I'm working towards... the pose and the general "attitude" seems like a better fit with the Grifter image to me.
BTW, I was a huge Maxx fan back in the day, myself.
I like both Ladytrons for different reasons.
Ladytron A's pose has more attitude. She also looks more sleek. It's a good balance of tech and humanoid. Her face, especially the eyes, are a big part of the attitude look.
Ladytron B simply looks more mean. The tech parts are more detailed, and of course, there's the gun. She does seem a bit too thick, but that also adds to the meanness of the design.
I'm not familiar with the original character, but I think both pics are well designed.
Here's an updated Ladytron: narrower shoulders and neck, added some wiring to fill out her midsection (they're supposed to represent the various nerve plexi in the human body)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_maxinecopy-2.jpg)
I've started work on Zealot, but I'm just tossing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks, I don't want to go the conventional route and draw her as just another half-naked Amazon type.
Well, here's my take on Zealot:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_zealotcopy.jpg)
I really wanted to get away from the original Zealot design by Jim Lee... it's just so dated, not to mention impractical and ridiculous (even by 1990s comic book standards). Zealot is supposed to be a 5 000 year old warrior who's played a part in every major human conflict, so it doesn't make sense that she would go to battle in a lycra/spandex bikini armed with nothing but shoulderpads, a katana and some throwing blades. With the re-design, I gave her an AK-47, perhaps the most reliable firearm in the history of modern warfare (I figure somebody with her experience would prefer practicality over flashier, newer weapons) and I sort of combined the visual elements of the katana and throwing blades and gave her a kukri (Nepalese curved dagger). Her "costume" is just practical, loosefitting garb but I kept the colour-scheme from the original. I also did an "Ultimate Nick Fury" by giving her African/South Asian features. No real motivation behind it, outside of reasons of aesthetic variety (and because it fits in with the theme established by the kukri and the bindi marking on her forehead).
Here's how the composite image is looking so far (I haven't decided on a background as of yet):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_wldcts_preview.jpg)
Without any real first-hand experience with them, the clip on the AK looks a tad on the longish side. I don't know if they had really extended clips, but it just looks to be out of proportion with it. Again, I could be wrong. ;)
I really like that Zealot.
I'm going to be honest... I hate Jim Lee's original character designs. I thought his X-Men costumes were weak (especially Cyclops). And, to be honest, I don't even like his art. So really, anything you did I would have thought an improvement.
But this really works. That red sash she's wearing? Is that a sort of poncho deal? Or more like a cloak? If it's too cape like it would obviously be impractical, so I'm assuming it's a sort of lose fitting garb. Possibly she could use it to conceal her weapons, back mounted. She does look like a tough warrior, though.
The composite picture looks great, but I'd reposition Ladytron (who looks just dandy now). Grifter's gun kind of merges into her neck.
Quote from: Panther_Gunn on July 22, 2007, 07:23:19 PM
Without any real first-hand experience with them, the clip on the AK looks a tad on the longish side. I don't know if they had really extended clips, but it just looks to be out of proportion with it. Again, I could be wrong. ;)
I based it on the images over at the online encyclopedia of modern firearms (http://world.guns.ru/main-e.htm). It did appear long to me too (the only other real reference I had was the AK-47 from the 1985 "Snow Serpent" GI Joe action figure) but I guess that's what it really looks like. And speaking of that firearms site, I see a lot of cover artists using the pics over there as reference, since there's no mistaking the angle that some of them are in (and really some of the more obscure weapons there you can't find pics of anywhere else on the 'net): definitely Tim Bradstreet for some of his
Punisher covers, and I think Brian Bolland and a guy whose name I forget who worked on an OniPress book. Also (and I'm not sure who plagiarized who), the text descriptions for some of the firearms are almost the same, line for line, as those seen in the manual for the PC game
Rainbow Six 3: Ravenshield.
Quote from: UnkoMan on July 22, 2007, 07:45:39 PM
That red sash she's wearing? Is that a sort of poncho deal?
... The composite picture looks great, but I'd reposition Ladytron (who looks just dandy now). Grifter's gun kind of merges into her neck.
That sash-type thing is a poncho, but moved to the side and back to accommodate her left arm resting on the rifle. I think I got the idea from seeing a picture of some
Zapatistas wearing similar poncho-like tops while patrolling Chiapas, Mexico.
Noticed the gun merging into Ladytron's head... I'm thinking of either recolouring Grifter's pistol so it stands out from the background or repositioning Ladytron as you suggested.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!
Well, here's my take on Spartan:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_spartancopy-1.jpg)
I never really liked the android Spartan/John Colt/Hadrian until the latter part of the second Wildcats series, when he took over the Jacob Marlowe identity and gave up the costumed superheroics to become the CEO of the HALO corporation. It seems to make so much more sense that a super-intelligent android with access to alien technology would try to bring about real change and world peace by improving the economic situation of the world instead of punching supervillains in pointless battle after pointless battle. My re-design is a nod to that aspect of Spartan, although I added electrodes on his skin to keep the android quality (and the blue turtleneck is supposed to be reminiscent of his old high-collar costume).
And here's Maul:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_maulcopy.jpg)
Instead of designing him as a guy who could increase his size and strength (not exactly my favourite power set) with an accompanying decrease in mental capacity, I went another route by giving him the power to de-evolve himself at will into a stronger, but less intelligent ape-like primal state (talk about "gorilla" warfare!). While I was drawing him, it struck me that it was probably Jim Lee's intent to do Maul as an homage to the Incredible Hulk. Like the Hulk, Maul had an intelligent human alter-ego and a superheroic identity with childlike intelligence. Also, the colour scheme is the same, although Lee reversed the colours with Maul (Hulk = green skin and purple pants; Maul= purple skin and green bodysuit).
Here's the temporary group shot, I haven't figured out what background I'll make (maybe an outline of the city highlighting the unique shape of the HALO building?):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_wldcts_preview-2.jpg)
Also, I had so much fun designing and drawing these guys I might go on ahead and do my versions of my least favourite WildCATs, Warblade and Voodoo, just to fill out the roster.
Nice work, I like reading your thoughts on what you're doing.
Two comments to make.
Zealot. Loose fitting clothes are horrible for combat. The less your opponent has to grab, the better off you are. Also, if running through brush, the less likely you're going to get hung up on a tree. Unfortunately, it seems almost evey urban superhero has learned this by now and therefore wears tight-fitting spy-clothes. So, I'm actually glad to see your Zealot in something different.
Maul. He's not doing it for me. Don't know if you've ever seen the cartoon "Grape Ape (http://members.shaw.ca/gorillagallery/myweb2/grape_ape.htm)", but he's bound to draw comparisons. I think the devolved approach is interesting. His colors don't seem to mesh well with the rest of the team though. Also, with a name like "Maul", I was really hoping to see some sort of close-combat expert. Not sure what melee weapon you would give a big gorilla, nor if it would even be practical on a team like this.
Quote from: psychopanda on July 23, 2007, 07:28:42 AM
Zealot. Loose fitting clothes are horrible for combat. The less your opponent has to grab, the better off you are. Also, if running through brush, the less likely you're going to get hung up on a tree. Unfortunately, it seems almost evey urban superhero has learned this by now and therefore wears tight-fitting spy-clothes. So, I'm actually glad to see your Zealot in something different.
Good points, but as I said earlier, the inspiration for her costume was a picture I saw of Mexican insurgents... so it was ponchos, peasant's trousers, that sort of thing. Another thing I sort of referred to were images of Afghan guerrillas. From a visual and conceptual standpoint, something was appealing to me about the idea of "casual soldiers" with little to no formal training (but with a lifetime of battlefield experience), dressed in loose-fitting traditional garb, and armed with 40 year-old Russian assault rifles going toe-to-toe with and holding off soldiers armed with the best in 21st century weapons tech.
Quote from: psychopanda on July 23, 2007, 07:28:42 AMMaul. He's not doing it for me. Don't know if you've ever seen the cartoon "Grape Ape (http://members.shaw.ca/gorillagallery/myweb2/grape_ape.htm)", but he's bound to draw comparisons. I think the devolved approach is interesting. His colors don't seem to mesh well with the rest of the team though.
Holy crap! Never saw the cartoon but the image must have filtered through my subconscious somehow. I agree that the colours don't mesh well with the rest of the team, and I was this close to changing him to a more reasonable colour scheme. The more I think about it, the more I feel like maybe he should be coloured a russet-brown (sort of like an orangutan). What do you think?
Quote from: zuludelta on July 23, 2007, 03:06:09 PM
Good points, but as I said earlier, the inspiration for her costume was a picture I saw of Mexican insurgents... so it was ponchos, peasant's trousers, that sort of thing. Another thing I sort of referred to were images of Afghan guerrillas.
...
The more I think about it, the more I feel like maybe he should be coloured a russet-brown (sort of like an orangutan). What do you think?
Zealot's costume, I see where you're going design-wise. Guerillas don't have a standard military uniform (nor would they want one, as it's a surefire way to get singled out). I think in her description you mentioned her garb as being 'more practical' and 'better than close-fitting spandex', which set off the little bell in my head about close fitting clothes being more functional. I think we both agree that the design works (wonderfully), I just got hung up on the words. ;)
Colors for Maul...yeah, russet-brown would probably work better. Another thing that bugs me about the colors, is it looks sort of Beast-Boy (Changeling-Teen Titan's) like, which you probably want to stay away from.
Edit to add: A couple background ideas: on the landing deck of an Aircraft carrier, in a Mission Control room (very dark with computer monitors, radar displays, and glass panels in the background), or standing in front of the loading deck of a big carrier plane.
I was gonna recolour Maul reddish-brown to get away from the Grape Ape comparison but then I remembered another Hanna-Barbera character... Magilla Gorilla! Damn you Hanna-Barbera and your multi-coloured apes!
Anyway, I just went ahead and coloured him gray... it's better fit with the rest of the team anyway:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_maul02copy.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_wldcts_preview-3.jpg)
Great suggestion using a mission control room for the background 'panda. It's a good excuse for me to use more red in the image (I'm on a big "red-green" colour scheme kick), what with all the computer dispalys and such that I can use. Thanks!
About Maul... the devolving idea is great. I could see him being a tactical expert in his human form, and struggling to remember his set plans in his animal state. The longer he stays, the more primal he becomes. Eventually the team may have to comb the jungle looking for him.
Well I have always loved purple gorillas, and think they are awesome, the more standard grey does fit much better with this team. In fact... Ladytron's design being so close to the original is almost starting to look odd next to the rest. Granted, there's nothing wrong with that.
As for background... mission control centre could work, but to me they seem almost like they have just set down some sorta opressive forces in a third world country, and have bursted into the final leader's HQ, Spartan coming down from a helicopter to negotiate "peaceful" surrender.
I think Maul's grey is working a lot better, especially when he's in the group shot. Forgot to mention it before, but I love his cap. The goggles are a nice touch too.
I like Unko's comments. Maul devolving and losing his intelligence is also a nod back to the original Maul (who lost his intelligence as he got bigger). That could lend some humor or be pretty serious, depending on how the writer wants to play it. He's got a nice story to go with his background suggestion too.
Well, here's the final image:
(http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/6382/ultwldctscopyae5.th.jpg) (http://img461.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ultwldctscopyae5.jpg)
Photobucket's being a real pain so I went to Imageshack to host it. I managed to incorporate both unko's and psychopanda's suggestions for the background by having them teleport into a jungle setting, leaving a "teleport door" to peek through to show their mission control centre (Spartan did gain Void's teleportation powers after absorbing her consciousness).
I like the final pic, but it's too bad that so much of the smaller details get lost at that size (yes, I did look at the full size pic on the link ;)). Spartan & Zealot seem to suffer the most. Is there any way to help that come through better?
Well, the original image is 2048 x 1536 at 300 dpi (which I reduced from 5120 x 3840 ... it was so huge everything in Photoshop just slowed down to a crawl). I suppose I can do the image reduction in increments, using the sharpen tool at every stop, but even then, I'm not sure if the results would be significantly different. Glad you like the final pic!
EDIT: Photobucket is finally back up, so here's another link to the 1024 x 768-sized image, with none of Imageshack's pesky pop-ups:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_wldctscopybutton.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ult_wldctscopy.jpg)
and of course, the obligatory wallpaper (you can use the original image as a wallpaper too, I guess, although I personally don't like "busy" wallpapers all that much:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wldcts_wp_preview.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wldcts_wp_1024x768.jpg)
PG's "new" avatar image made me laugh! :P
Sweet job ZD. They all look wonderful on that backdrop design!
Glad you like the WildCATs piece 'panda!
Here's a non-superhero piece:
original pencils:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/sketchpencil.jpg)
final image:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/sketchcopy.jpg)
The pencil sketch is taken from my old sketchbooks that I used to document my life as a newly arrived immigrant in Canada (the subject of the above 2-minute thumbnail sketch was some random guy at the fees line-up at Simon Fraser University)... I'd had about 3 years worth of random drawings, sketches, and gag strips by the time my sketchbooks were stolen (they were in my knapsack which got jacked at a bus station), but I fortunately managed to scan this one prior to the theft. I totally forgot about it until today, while I was rooting through some old zip files in one of my back-up CDs, so I decided to fire up Photoshop and do a quick paint job over it (while fixing some of the more glaring anatomy issues).
I like how the intensity of the colors is pretty much consistent throughout. It gives a very calming effect to the piece. Nice job!
Thanks 'panda.
I'm a little burnt out on drawing comic book characters so I figured I'd do a self-portrait:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/selfportrait01.jpg)
Nice job ZD, you look just like your picture except older. ;)
My eye tells me you need something on that wall. A little texture or posters.
Quote from: psychopanda on July 26, 2007, 09:46:45 AM
Nice job ZD, you look just like your picture except older. ;)
My eye tells me you need something on that wall. A little texture or posters.
Thanks for taking the time to look and give suggestions:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/selfportrait01-1.jpg)
I didn't want to do any real texture on the wall, as I think it might detract from the "flatness" of the stylized look I'm trying to convey. Didn't apply any "ink outlines" to the additions (the cigarette buts, the poster) either, so that the focus would remain squarely on the figure.
Oh yeah, that picked it up a bit. What do you think about lowering the inensity on the graphiti just a tad? My eye keeps wandering up there. The added background is really helping to tell the rest of the story, now we can tell that you're sitting against a brick wall (most likely outside) and in some hip neighborhood where they have a Live show.
Yeah, I think that background definately works. Makes it look like a completed picture. I'd probably push the "live!!!" along a bit, to crop off more of the exclamation marks. Right now it looks like you were purposefully trying to fit it into the picture.
I agree about lowering the inesity on the graphiti a bit, too.
No outlines on the background was a good choice. It does just what you intended. In fact, I'd say if you do more backgrounds in this style, keep it non outlined.
The tape holding the poster... I dunno. I like it, but at the same time, it's a bit too almost the same as the shadows. My only suggestion would be to maybe whiten it a bit more, but I also think that would ruin it. However, this is such a minor issue I'd say don't even worry about it and why did I bother to bring it up?
Thanks for the suggestions!
Updated:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/selfportrait01copy.jpg)
Also, working on a "modern" (a.k.a. my version) of a Heroes for Hire team picture much like the previous WildCATs team image I made, I'm still planning out the thing, although I'm sure I'll be doing Luke Cage and Iron Fist from the original Heroes for Hire, Shang-Chi, Misty Knight, and Colleen Wing from the current team, and maybe some totally out of left field choice from the 1996 post-Onslaught Saga book, maybe Black Knight or Hercules, or even She-Hulk.
Hmm, have you ever thought about doing a totally off-the-path team, like the Defenders or Champions? I happen to like the old characters as they were, but it'd also be pretty neat to see some of the older stuff get "Zulu-ized". ;)
Never really considered the Defenders or Champions... the Champions, especially, are pretty much a "thrown-together" team and to me at least, it's hard to come up with a unifying theme to tie them all together visually, whereas the Heroes for Hire, I can easily design them around the concept of street-level martial artist/enforcer types. The Defenders would be interesting, but a little daunting (I've never been satisfied with any Namor or Dr. Strange designs I've done). Another idea I've considered is doing a Viking/Norse-themed piece, drawing Thor, Valkyrie, and The Warriors Three in a less "superhero" fashion (no capes, real armour)
Anyways, here's a peek at Shang-Chi doing his best Bruce Lee impression (utilizing the "Game of Death"-inspired design I first used in my Ultimate Shang-Chi piece a few pages back):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/shangchicopy.jpg)
His "bones" are peeking through, which is the shorthand I now use instead of sketching things out on paper. I'm not sure if I actually work faster that way... I don't spend any time doing any detail on paper but the ease with which I can construct and modify poses in Photoshop means I spend a lot of time going back and forth between figures.
Well, here's Shang-Chi, getting ready to open a sixpack of whoop-arse on some hapless soul:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/shangchicopy-1.jpg)
And here's Misty Knight, showing us her best side :lol:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/mistyknightcopy-1.jpg)
I'll probably do Colleen Wing next, I always take more time drawing females (since I can't really refer to myself on the mirror for reference).
I've been gone for about a week so I'm a little behind - love the WildC.A.T.S. stuff, even though I was never a fan. The wallpaper is very nice - I love the way the t-p "window" looks against a black background. I'm also really enjoying your style - I'd love to see some sequential panels done up. I know it'd probably be a pain to do a whole comic, but a page or two of something would be really awesome!
On the Misty Knight, I think her legs are too short by a foot length at least - maybe more. She looks very stubby legged to me. I like her colors though! And Shang -Chi looks a little too lean, he could stand to be a touch heavier through the shoulders and chest. I'm not saying he should be a mass of muscle, but he looks too adolescent to me right now.
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on July 28, 2007, 08:11:00 AM
On the Misty Knight, I think her legs are too short by a foot length at least - maybe more. She looks very stubby legged to me... And Shang -Chi looks a little too lean, he could stand to be a touch heavier through the shoulders and chest.
Actually, the legs are the appropriate length (if you check where her left arm ends against her thigh)... I think the reason you perceive her legs to be shorter than they are is the fact that the point where the individual legs appear to diverge from each other is pretty low, since I didn't use any black lines to differentiate the legs at the point where the "buttcrack" (can't think of a better phrase... gluteal split?) ends and the thighs start. I'll see if I can add some shading to make the distinction between the legs more evident. As for Shang-Chi... I dunno, I'm basing his look on images of Bruce Lee (who was probably leaner than anybody except Gandhi), so in that respect, I don't think I'll be changing his build (thanks for the suggestions though).
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on July 28, 2007, 08:11:00 AM
I'd love to see some sequential panels done up. I know it'd probably be a pain to do a whole comic, but a page or two of something would be really awesome!
I've been working on and off on a short story, nothing superhero-related though, it's more along the lines of Pekar's
American Splendor. I'm just slogging through the writing but I've got the first three pages laid out:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/page_01_thumbcopy.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/page_02_thumbcopy.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/page_03_thumbcopy.jpg)
I'm also working with one of our fellow FRers on a little project, but everything's still in a pretty preliminary stage.
Thanks again for the suggestions and comments, I really appreciate it when you guys take the time to offer your thoughts on what I'm doing.
EDIT: here's the updated Misty Knight pic with the extra shadow added:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/mistyknightcopy2-1.jpg)
Quote from: zuludelta on July 28, 2007, 01:37:50 PM
since I didn't use any black lines to differentiate the legs at the point where the "buttcrack" (can't think of a better phrase... gluteal split?) ends and the thighs start. I'll see if I can add some shading to make the distinction between the legs more evident.
Close. Gluteal cleft. :D
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on July 28, 2007, 02:49:55 PM
Close. Gluteal cleft. :D
Hah! My anatomy instructor's probably turning in his grave right now :lol:
Anyway, here's my take on Colleen Wing:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/colleencopy.jpg)
One of my pet peeves in comics is when creators take a character of obvious ethnicity and make careless mistakes regarding their background, which sort of ruins the whole suspension of disbelief thing (even though I'm pretty sure most writers and artists mean well when they create minority characters in comics). Colleen Wing is a perfect example. Her dad's name is Lee Wing (a Chinese name), so you'd expect her last name to be Lee (i.e., Colleen Lee), and not Wing (since Chinese names always have the surname first). With this redesign, I ditched the whole samurai motif (it's a little cliché at this point, and a little too
Kill Bill) and went with a
wushu/
taiji sword style (makes for more interesting stances, too). I also made her hair colour black, I always thought it was odd that she has always been portrayed as a brunette/redhead. It's never been confirmed if her dad was actually ethnic Chinese, since he was always drawn as a Caucasian in his few appearances, but with a Japanese mother, I figured it wouldn't be too much of a departure.
Quote from: zuludelta on July 28, 2007, 06:56:38 PM
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on July 28, 2007, 02:49:55 PM
Close. Gluteal cleft. :D
Hah! My anatomy instructor's probably turning in his grave right now :lol:
What? That
is the correct anatomical term. :unsure:
Gluteal Cleft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteal_cleft)
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on July 28, 2007, 07:54:24 PM
Quote from: zuludelta on July 28, 2007, 06:56:38 PM
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on July 28, 2007, 02:49:55 PM
Close. Gluteal cleft. :D
Hah! My anatomy instructor's probably turning in his grave right now :lol:
What? That is the correct anatomical term. :unsure:
Gluteal Cleft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteal_cleft)
You misunderstand me... I was referring to the fact that my anatomy instructor would be so disappointed in my forgetting the actual term, it's one of those things that you'd think would stick.
I've hit a bit of a creative roadblock with Iron Fist and Luke Cage... I'm thinking I might let these guys go for a while and move on to a different project. I like how Misty Knight and Colleen Wing look as a single image though:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/dotd.jpg)
Idle late-night doodling led to these two Thundercats-inspired pieces:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/thundercats_conceptcopy.jpg)
Maybe I'll flesh them out in future.
Very nice ZD. Liono looks great. :thumbup:
Thundercats... HO!
*is a nerd*
Unfinished or not they look good.
-MJB
For some reason Tigra is giving off a Panthro vibe to me. Probably just the flatness of the head, though, as opposed to his usual Wolverine-esque hairdo.
Still, very cool. You should definately do more, man. Redesign them before the movie comes out, at least.
Quote from: MJB on July 31, 2007, 09:15:30 AM
Thundercats... HO!
Yes Thundercats, it's true... and EmJay can be yours for the low, low price of....
A buck-fitty.
Thanks for all the comments guys!
I never really saw myself completing the Lion-O and Tigra images but here we are:
Lion-O as a barbarian type:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/lionocopy.jpg)
Tigra as a warrior-monk (swapped out his whip for a length of mystical beads that he can control telekinetically)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/tigracopy.jpg)
Nice work. I'm getting giddy for Saturday morning cartoons again! :lol:
Awesome new stuff! Now all we need is Cheetara as a pole dancer and my life will be complete! (rrrowr!)
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on August 01, 2007, 10:05:55 AM
Now all we need is Cheetara as a pole dancer and my life will be complete! (rrrowr!)
Ha ha, a real Thundercats HO! :lol:
Quote from: psychopanda on August 01, 2007, 07:10:38 AM
Nice work. I'm getting giddy for Saturday morning cartoons again! :lol:
Don't really remember much of the cartoon... I was much more into The Galaxy Rangers (http://www.thegalaxyrangers.com/Default.asp?flash=true) (no guts no glory!) and Voltes V (http://users.animanga.com/voltesv/) as far as Saturday morning cartoon fare was concerned. I remember the animation in the early Thundercats episodes to be real good, though, rivaling that of the Marvel/Sunbow GI Joe cartoons.
Oh neat. They are so contrasing with each other... I like Lion-O's hand that I always thought was retarded being turned into him wearing an animal's claw. Looks a tad "bear-ish" though, due to the darker brown armour. But it's good.
The change in Tigro's weapon is a unique idea, too, and the green works with the orange.
Quote from: UnkoMan on August 01, 2007, 05:44:11 PMLooks a tad "bear-ish" though, due to the darker brown armour. But it's good.
Yeah, I initially had it coloured in a tone similar to his fur/skin, but it ended up looking like he had some weird hairy tumour growing out of his forearm.
A quick-ish Daredevil:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/dd_02copy.jpg)
I've been putting off doing a Fantastic Four image for a while now, it took a fortuitously-timed request from one of the posters at the Comic Book Resources Forums for me to finally start work on it. Here's Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/thingcopy-1.jpg)
I went for his more classic build (and the classic black and blue knickers and the Kirby cigar), where he's slightly short and squat-looking, I'm not really too fond of the modern interpretations (http://www.sumerak.com/images/covers/large/maff000.gif) where he's this hulking orange mass with pseudo-musculature... it turns him into just another muscular strong guy (and I hate it when artists give him the exaggerated jutting lower jaw (http://freakcomics.com/images/ff_544.jpg)... it looks like he's got a freaking soup bowl for a mandible)
I like a little jaw on my Thing. Sort of Hellboy style. But I do like the squat look more than hyper muscled.
This Thing looks great... But suffers a bit of weirdness due to your outlining style. Namely, that cigar. It looks to almost be floating. Why outline it in black? Why not use darker shades of the colours it actually is? Maybe even all a darker brown. The same goes for the black line on the bottom of his trunks, but it's less noticable there.
The cigar though, as is, stands out too much and becomes the centre of attention.
Can't wait to see the rest of the F4. And hey... you really only have to draw three of them.
I was noticing the same thing, except for me, the trunks were floating in space. The cigar didn't bother me as much.
I agree with ZD on the jaw. He ends up looking like Bedrock (from Image's Youngblood comic) who in turn is a copy of some cartoony character that I forget right now.
The Thing looks great and I'm glad you took him back to his base. My favorite artists on the Thing are Jack Kirby and John Byrne. Byrne really impressed me with the way he drew the lumpy Thing. Which is pretty much the same shape as yours, but a different texture.
Looking forward to more F4. :)
I really like the shape of The Thing, zulu. I am kinda missing more black though, which would help ground the cigar and his shorts.
Thanks for the suggestions guys, you make excellent points. I think most of the problems come from the fact that I worked in a much higher resolution (1250 x 2500 in 300 dpi) and then shrunk it down to 300 x 600. I've noticed that stroke lines around large area layers tend not scale down as well as other details and end up looking a lot thicker than they do on the original PSD file. Another factor that caused the shorts to "pop out" and look like it was floating on top of the image is the fact that I used a gray background... the inherently strong contrast between the gray and the blue made it look even more pronounced than I wanted. With that in mind, I used a couple of workarounds to minimize that distortion, hopefully it looks better this time around:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/thingcopy3-1.jpg)
Quote from: psychopanda on August 02, 2007, 08:10:12 AM
I agree with ZD on the jaw. He ends up looking like Bedrock (from Image's Youngblood comic) who in turn is a copy of some cartoony character that I forget right now.
Actually, I think his name was Badrock (not an improvement, I know) and the less the Thing has to do with that character, the better. Although I think Badrock was just Liefled copying the Thing to begin with.
Love the work ZD. I could definitely picture Zealot fighting her way through Columbia and the rest of your characterizations are well thought out. I love the style you're using too.
Quote from: TigerStyle on August 02, 2007, 03:59:28 PM
Quote from: psychopanda on August 02, 2007, 08:10:12 AM
I agree with ZD on the jaw. He ends up looking like Bedrock (from Image's Youngblood comic) who in turn is a copy of some cartoony character that I forget right now.
Actually, I think his name was Badrock (not an improvement, I know) and the less the Thing has to do with that character, the better. Although I think Badrock was just Liefled copying the Thing to begin with.
If I remember my Image Comics history, Liefeld's character was indeed originally named "Bedrock", but wary of a possible copyright infringement suit from the Hanna-Barbera Flintstones people, Liefeld changed the name to "Badrock" (a horrible horrible pun, by the way) at some point during or immediately after the first Youngblood mini-series. And no, I didn't buy the books, honest, I just read my classmate's copies (although I did break down and buy Youngblood #0... probably the last thing I ever bought with Liefeld's name attached to it).
I wish I could say I was *hip* and knew his name was originally "Bedrock", but actually I goofed! :lol:
Nice changes on The Thing, ZD. Now it looks like he's wearng boxers instead of briefs. Intentional or no?
Quote from: psychopanda on August 02, 2007, 05:02:07 PM
Nice changes on The Thing, ZD. Now it looks like he's wearng boxers instead of briefs. Intentional or no?
Definitely intentional... I'm drawing on his earlier appearances for reference, and it always seemed to me that he wore either "leggy" briefs or super-short shorts (http://www.comics101.com/comics101//news/Comics%20101/23/bankrupt.jpg) back in the day. That being said, I think the short shorts look would only work for The Thing... could you imagine Namor with one of those on? He'd be like the love-child of Mr. Spock and Magnum, PI!
Zd, do you have any interests at all in kaiju (giant monsters) or pulp\old school type heroes? For some reason, I'd love to see you tackle some Godzilla or It the Living Colossus type monsters, or heroes like the Phantom and the Shadow.
I've got plans to do The Shadow and Lee Falk's Phantom down the line... any excuse to draw a guy double-wielding a pair of semi-automatics, John Woo style :D
As for giant monsters and whatnot... I might tackle King Kong at some point (I've always wanted to paint an image of King Kong tearing a t-rex's jaws apart and spitting down it's throat :lol:) and maybe Voltes V (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltes_V) (my favourite giant robot show from my childhood).
I absolutely love that Daredevil....I mean, if you made that into a desktop, I'd use it, it's that awesome. I like that thing too...but everyone knows I'm a sucker for Kirby's style of all of his characters.
Quote from: BentonGrey on August 02, 2007, 10:00:30 PM
I absolutely love that Daredevil....I mean, if you made that into a desktop, I'd use it, it's that awesome.
Glad you like it. Here's a wallpaper, hosted, unfortunately, on Imageshack (Photobucket's on temporary server maintenance), so you'll have to deal with a pop-up ad or two:
(http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/1317/dd02wp1024x768gi8.th.jpg) (http://img172.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dd02wp1024x768gi8.jpg)
Here's Invisible Woman, using her powers:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/suestormjoke.jpg)
Just kidding :lol:
Here she is:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/suestorm_fadecopy.jpg)
Awesome, thanks ZD, consider it background-ified.
i like the more real life figure on IW. Some artist portray her with the proportions of a porn star, which i find both disrespectful and hard to believe. Your rendition of sue storm looks like a real woman.
Quote from: Carravaggio on August 03, 2007, 11:02:26 PM
i like the more real life figure on IW. Some artist portray her with the proportions of a porn star, which i find both disrespectful and hard to believe. Your rendition of sue storm looks like a real woman.
Agreed. In my opinion, Sue looked best when she was drawn more realistically. I do think a few artists have drawn her more shapely without going overboard like some artists, though.
As for the background, Zulu obviously decided to draw a picture of her trapped in Limbo starting to turn invisible with an invisible force field around herself that's bigger than the pic. :thumbup:
Glad you guys like the build I gave Sue. I was never a fan of drawing every superheroine with DDs. I mean, it's fun when you're thirteen and all, but it gets boring after a while. Now I only draw every other superheroine with DDs :lol:
Here's the Human Torch:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/torchcopy-1.jpg)
I considered going the classic route and giving him the vertical black lines but decided against it... that type of rendering detail seems to be diametrically opposed to the overall "flat"/vector art look I'm going for.
Not entirely sure about this one, though... I was trying out a different angle and using exaggerated perspective. I'll give it a few hours and if I'm still satisfied with how it looks, I'll let it stand, otherwise, I might try a different pose.
Lined Torch?
(http://www.psychopanda.net/images/torchcopy-1-1.gif)
I think he looks keen! :thumbup:
Quote from: zuludelta on August 04, 2007, 05:42:29 AM
Glad you guys like the build I gave Sue. I was never a fan of drawing every superheroine with DDs. I mean, it's fun when you're thirteen and all, but it gets boring after a while. Now I only draw every other superheroine with DDs :lol:
Here's the Human Torch:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/torchcopy-1.jpg)
I considered going the classic route and giving him the vertical black lines but decided against it... that type of rendering detail seems to be diametrically opposed to the overall "flat"/vector art look I'm going for.
Not entirely sure about this one, though... I was trying out a different angle and using exaggerated perspective. I'll give it a few hours and if I'm still satisfied with how it looks, I'll let it stand, otherwise, I might try a different pose.
'tis very neat indeed. I like how you coloured it in such a way that you can see the different parts of his costume, but it still all flows together very smoothly.
For IW, I've got to say try fading out the outline more. It stops a little too harshly. I think it would look better if it just stayed the same opacity as the fill in.
Johnny looks pretty rad. Like Pwime said, seeing the costume is nice. He does appear to have an enormous read end, but I still think the perspective works pretty darn well besides that. The more human face is a good idea, too. I mean, no face is alright, but Johnny's an emotional character. He needs a way to show that visually. The pose is very dynamic on him.
Thanks for all your suggestions guys, reading your input and suggestions always helps. My biggest reservation with the Human Torch drawing is that he doesn't fit in with Thing and Invisible Woman in terms of pose and perspective. I'm planning on putting them all together in a tight group image but the way Johnny is, he'd only make sense in that pose if he were flying at a distance above the ground. I might do a more traditional hovering pose that displays the "4" on his chest more prominently (so anybody unfamiliar with the Fantastic Four would still get the idea that he's wearing the same costume under all that fire).
Quote from: psychopanda on August 04, 2007, 08:30:01 AM
Lined Torch?
(http://www.psychopanda.net/images/torchcopy-1-1.gif)
Hey, that looks pretty good!
Quote from: UnkoMan on August 04, 2007, 09:31:05 AM
For IW, I've got to say try fading out the outline more. It stops a little too harshly. I think it would look better if it just stayed the same opacity as the fill in.
I was a little torn on how I would do the fade to simulate her invisibility power. If you notice, I don't use any colour gradients or tapering line thicknesses, at least in my more recent images, but I couldn't think of another way to get the invisibility idea across that was consistent with that little rule I set for myself. The Invisible Woman image ended up being a compromise: a fading gradient on the fill-in, but a non-tapering line that cuts off at a point. I'll see if I can come up with something else (I'm not entirely satisfied with it myself).
updated Invisible Woman (adjusted the outline):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/suestorm_fadecopy2.jpg)
re-done Human Torch (changed the pose so he'll fit better when I make the group shot, changed his hair colour):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/torch2copy-2.jpg)
On the whole - good changes. The Invisible Woman fad-out looks much better, and Johnny has a great pose - dynamic, yet more fitting to your overall composition (at least as I understand it). I do think you need to darken Johnny's costume's primary color. It's noticeably lighter than the original - almost pinkish. I also prefer the lower contrast between the reds of the first costume.
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on August 05, 2007, 05:32:10 AMI do think you need to darken Johnny's costume's primary color. It's noticeably lighter than the original - almost pinkish. I also prefer the lower contrast between the reds of the first costume.
Funny you should think that it's lighter... I used the same RGB values as in the first Torch figure (and same contrast values, too)... it's probably the darker flame aura creating the illusion that the reds in the main figure are lighter. Still, thanks for the suggestion... it would've never crossed my mind that the effect of having the darker flame aura could be seen as such. Anyways, to offset that, I did go and dial the brightness on his costume down a few notches:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/torch3copy.jpg)
I'm way more satisfied with this now... I think it's different enough from the standard Human Torch rendition so that it stands out, but doesn't deviate from the original so much that he's unidentifiable.
Better!
I agree - it's a great take on the character. I really like the way you can still see his face and hair, I also like that the iconic F4 costume is still recognizable.
Okay, actually... I like this Human Torch WAY more. He just looks like a hardcase here. That pose is great. The head shape looks a little off to me. Squished or something? No wait. Let's say too wide, after comparing it to the body.
A cool idea would be to see if you could get a flaming four on him. Unless you don't like that look. I always have, though.
But yeah this will go more with the dynamic. Actually Thing might look a little too casual now... But I can totally see him just standing around before going "Oh fine... I guess it will have to be clobbering time now."
Quickly adjusted the size of Torch's head:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/torch3copy-1.jpg)
I'm a little uninspired to do Mr. Fantastic, so I figured I'd do a non-FF related drawing while I wait for inspiration to strike me, here's a quick take on Deathblow:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/deathblow2copy.jpg)
Quote from: zuludelta on August 05, 2007, 11:40:45 PM
I'm a little uninspired to do Mr. Fantastic, ...
But he's one of the funnest to draw!! You can just go wild! :lol:
F4 is looking pretty good. Love the colors on Human Torch, they work so well. One of these days I really need to learn how to color!
Quote from: psychopanda on August 07, 2007, 07:04:57 AM
But he's one of the funnest to draw!! You can just go wild! :lol:
That's probably the problem for me. Without the constraints set by normal anatomy (or normal as it pertains to most superheroes), I find myself a little lost when drawing him all stretchy-like. I actually toyed with the idea of just drawing him not using his powers, but felt it would be a bit of a cheat. In the end, I didn't draw him first as an individual image the way I did the other three members of the FF, intead I arranged the Invisible Woman, Thing, and Human Torch the way I wanted to in the final blocking in my head, and then just drew Reed to sort of fill out the scene.
So here's the final Fantastic Four image (click on the picture to view a larger version):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/fant_four_prev_small.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/fant_four_prev.jpg)
I think Mr. F looks great, and I love the "4" background! I also like how Mr. F balances Johnny in the overall weight. My only concern is the eyes - they're all looking in a different direction. Mr. F and Thing appear to be looking at the viewer, Invisible Girl appears to be looking over the viewer's right shoulder, and Torch is looking completely off stage right. Taken all together it makes for an odd group shot.
The Invisible Girl's eyes should be easy to shift a bit more to the center line without needing to change much else, but Johnny's whole head would need to move.
Thought I should post this update on the Deathblow pic I previewed earlier back:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/deathblow2copy-1.jpg)
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on August 08, 2007, 04:26:38 AM
I think Mr. F looks great, and I love the "4" background! I also like how Mr. F balances Johnny in the overall weight. My only concern is the eyes - they're all looking in a different direction.
I dunno... the eye thing doesn't bother me as much (or at all). Probably because in my mind, the pose is in the context of them sort of squaring off against a mass of enemies or some such.
Well there ya go - context is everything.
Been somewhat busy the past few days so i haven't been drawing for myself as much. Anyway, here's a second Snake-Eyes image, based on the 25th Anniversary toy (I'll probably revise my first Storm-Shadow drawing in the future):
EDIT image updated, see my later post
Awesome Snake-Eyes. :thumbup:
Here's something of an accident:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/batmancopy2.jpg)
The whole thing was actually supposed to be an original character design for a project I'm working on but I decided to discard this particular concept. I felt like it would be such a waste seeing as how I put in a couple hours worth of work into it, so I just changed up a few things and turned it into an "Ultimate Batman" piece.
Nice stuff Zulu.
-MJB
very nice, Zulu...i'm trying to picture him with the goggles down, though, because Batman just seems a bit odd with his normal eyes clearly visible...
still, very, very nice work.
Quote from: The Pwime on August 12, 2007, 07:46:45 PM
very nice, Zulu...i'm trying to picture him with the goggles down, though, because Batman just seems a bit odd with his normal eyes clearly visible...
I'm not trying to step on Zulu's toes and I hope he doesn't mind...
(http://www.captainspud.com/mjb/images/zulu-batman-gogglesdown.jpg)
I had Photoshop open and was playing around when I saw Pwime's post. I did a quick edit of Zulu's pic.
Again, I hope you don't mind Zulu... I was just messing around.
-MJB
Quote from: MJB on August 12, 2007, 09:09:33 PM
Again, I hope you don't mind Zulu... I was just messing around.
Dude, that's awesome! :thumbup: He definitely looks more intimidating with the goggles down.
Anyway, here's a Silver Surfer piece I've been sitting on for a while now:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/silver_surfer2copyc.jpg)
thats pretty cool zuludude :thumbup:
Nice job(s)!
A few suggestions: Deathblow could use a slightly darker background and Snake-Eyes (I really like) pose looks a little wonky, mainly the angle of his right leg.
The warp effect on the Silver Surfer piece looks very nice. Looks like you're really nailing down this new "animation" style of yours.
I'm also getting intrigued about this darn secret project that keeps getting mentioned! :lol:
Quote from: psychopanda on August 13, 2007, 08:17:32 AM
Nice job(s)!
Thanks!
QuoteA few suggestions: Deathblow could use a slightly darker background and Snake-Eyes (I really like) pose looks a little wonky, mainly the angle of his right leg.
Suggestions noted. I'll probably go in and improve on Snake-Eyes when I work on the rest of the GI Joe images I have planned (thinking of doing the five figures included in the 25th anniversary set, and maybe the Cobra set as well, if I can find the figures).
EDIT: modified Snake-Eyes
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/snakeeyes02copy.jpg)
QuoteThe warp effect on the Silver Surfer piece looks very nice. Looks like you're really nailing down this new "animation" style of yours.
Glad you like it. The style is as much about saving me effort (I'm lazy that way) as it is making things look neat and minimalist. I'm not the fastest worker in the world so I want to get as much visual information out there with as little deliberate detail as possible.
QuoteI'm also getting intrigued about this darn secret project that keeps getting mentioned! :lol:
Hopefully, we can make it worth all the intrigue I've managed to pique in you guys :)
Here's the 1990s Ghost Rider:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ghostridercopy-2.jpg)
I've always preferred the bike on the Daniel Ketch incarnation of Ghost Rider, just looks speedier and less "Easy Rider" to me. Also, the chopper/Harley-Davidson is quickly becoming the hallmark of middle-aged men trying to live out their fantasies while they go through mid-life crises and is this close to becoming the anti-thesis of cool and we just can't have an uncool Ghost Rider... the guy's practically a distillation of everything cool in superhero comics.
I agree the Harley is becoming a trademark of the weekend rider, men in their middle ages trying to recapture their youth, but the choppers (Harleys stripped down to maximize speed) will forever be associated with the Hell's Angels. Reguardless I like your Ghost Rider pic, especially the coloring.
Quote from: Ajax on August 16, 2007, 01:43:24 PM
I agree the Harley is becoming a trademark of the weekend rider, men in their middle ages trying to recapture their youth, but the choppers (Harleys stripped down to maximize speed) will forever be associated with the Hell's Angels. Reguardless I like your Ghost Rider pic, especially the coloring.
Glad you like the pic. As for Harleys (and Harley-style motorcycles) losing their "cool" cachet, you can probably pin it on the mainstreaming of biker culture courtesy of shows like American Chopper and the general tendency of media outlets to oversaturate the market with a particular product when they see a potential hit.
Anyway, got inspired to continue working on the Heroes for Hire image I started a few weeks ago after reading the first Immortal Iron Fist TPB (I heartily recommend it... read my review in the "How Were They" (http://freedomreborn.net/archive/index.php?topic=41237.150) thread). Here's an update:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/h4hcopy.jpg)
I'm still missing Luke Cage, and a member from the mid-1990s post-Onslaught Heroes Reborn team, who'll most likely be She-Hulk or White Tiger (or maybe both, if I feel up to it).
Heroes for Hire:
I look at this, and who do I see?
Michelle Yeoh, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Coffy (Pam Grier). Is Luke Cage gonna be Shaft? :lol:
Iron Fist has no chin. Behind his beard is just another fist. :lol:
Quote from: Panther_Gunn on August 21, 2007, 02:20:19 AM
Heroes for Hire:
I look at this, and who do I see?
Michelle Yeoh, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Coffy (Pam Grier). Is Luke Cage gonna be Shaft? :lol:
Ha! Neat observation :D. Shang-Chi as Bruce Lee is the only straight-up reference to an actual person (consciously, at least), though, but I can see how you arrived at the others. Colleen Wing was very roughly based on one of my former classmates (who also happens to be a
wushu practitioner), Iron Fist was basically Iron Fist crossed with every other guy in the UFC, and Misty Knight is inspired by Halle Berry's badonkadonk :lol:
I'm thinking of going with a young Mike Tyson for Luke Cage... kidding kidding, although now that I think about it, it wouldn't be such a bad idea...
Quote from: Panther_Gunn on August 21, 2007, 02:20:19 AMIron Fist has no chin. Behind his beard is just another fist.
Good one. My favourite's probably
"Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris."
Been in something of a creative funk. Normally, what I usually do is step away from the drawing table (or the mouse, as it were) and do something else, but I still do quick drawings/paintings of things I'm familiar and comfortable with on the side so I don't get too rusty. In my case, the default subject of choice has always been the female form (huuuge fan :lol:):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/woman_runningcopy-1.jpg)
Real quick, animated-style Dickie Grayson, but without the goofy mullet, and with proper-length eskrima staves:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/nightwingxcopy.jpg)
Here's the Red Skull, loosely based on the UK miniature figurine that's cropping up in comic book shops all over town:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/redskullcopy.jpg)
Quote from: zuludelta on August 12, 2007, 01:09:51 AM
Here's something of an accident:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/batmancopy2.jpg)
The whole thing was actually supposed to be an original character design for a project I'm working on but I decided to discard this particular concept. I felt like it would be such a waste seeing as how I put in a couple hours worth of work into it, so I just changed up a few things and turned it into an "Ultimate Batman" piece.
I may actually build a skope of this guy, he looks awesome!
and great work on the red skull and nightwing, i'd love to see a toon based on your designs.
it's liie a cross between peter chung and genndy tartovsky.
Quote from: detourne_me on August 27, 2007, 09:40:11 PMi'd love to see a toon based on your designs.
it's liie a cross between peter chung and genndy tartovsky.
Ooh, you just made my morning, since I practically worship at the altar of Tartakovsky and Chung (although I also go to the church of Chuck Jones and Craig McCracken on alternating Sundays :lol:), thanks!
A 'skope of the design would be interesting to me, even if only to see if the design works just as well in 3d-form.
Been looking at a lot of "classic" superhero designs lately and trying to break down what is it about them that works, design-wise. Anyway, some Superman studies:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/supescopy.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/supes2copy.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/supes3copy.jpg)
man, zulu, these are looking very snazzy!
I like where this is going!
Lies! That was neither a bird OR a plane!
-MJB
I love the Batman redesign. It reminds me of the Red Son Batman costume which I'm a big fan of.
Thanks for the comments guys!
A couple of Wolverine images I did for my kindergarten-aged nephews over the weekend:
This first drawing is loosely inspired by Dave Cockrum's "Fiend-With-No-Name" (http://en.marveldatabase.com/Image:Wolverine_%28Fairy_Tale%29a.JPG) from Uncanny X-Men #153
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie2copy.jpg)
And this is a more traditional rendering:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie3copy.jpg)
The second pic needs arm hair added like the first one has.
-MJB
Quote from: MJB on September 04, 2007, 10:28:41 PM
The second pic needs arm hair added like the first one has.
-MJB
good point and thanks for the suggestion. I held off on the arm hair because I didn't think adding that level of texture was consonant with the style I employed. In the end, I just added a darker tone to suggest the presence of hair, but I didn't do any actual hair texturing:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie3copy-1.jpg)
I don't know about it not working with your style but it sure looked cool. :)
Nice update. I'm no fan of Wolverine but I like how your version is actually short and dumpy looking. Too many people want to draw him like Hugh Jackman and forget that he's actually a shortie.
-MJB
Did "a Greg Land" and traced over a photo for this one:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/nashcopy.jpg)
For those of you who aren't NBA fans, that's Steve Nash (point guard for the Phoenix Suns), probably Canada's greatest contribution to basketball since... well, the game of basketball itself (a lot of people forget that James Naismith was Canadian).
Nice jeorb and great Greg Land diss. :)
-MJB
Quote from: MJB on September 05, 2007, 11:31:40 PM
Nice jeorb and great Greg Land diss. :)
-MJB
Poor Greg Land... he's quickly turning into this era's Rob Liefeld (not in terms of talent, mind you, but in terms of the controversy and bile his stuff generates amongst fans. I actually find Land to be a pretty decent artist when he isn't tracing over the cover of
Backdoor Sluts IX for his Invisible Woman and Wasp drawings).
Anyway, here's Houston's Yao Ming, a real life Rocket Red (apologies to the DC fans mis-led by the title :lol:... but he is a
Rocket from
Red China). Similar to the Nash pic, I overlaid the colours over a photo (except I freehanded most of the face this time, since I didn't fancy his grimace in the original photo):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/yaocopy-1.jpg)
Your art is awesome and I think your style is the most original I've ever seen. Your recent "Greg Land" drawings look awesome, but strangely all your other fictional work looks just as good.
You should link the original photos.
Great job on the Yao pic. Nice likeness. :)
-MJB
Thanks for the comments guys. Lemme see if I can find links to the original photos... here's the Nash pic (http://www.steve-nash.net/images/steve.jpg), it's from the playoffs from his first or second season with the Suns, I think (judging from the fact that Marquis Daniels was still with the Mavericks in this pic). The Yao pic I referenced isn't showing up on Google for some reason, but it's basically the same shot as this (http://classweb.dctc.mnscu.edu/VCOM268501/TRANRANH/yaoming.jpg) (from a slightly more elevated angle and with a different uniform).
Haven't been drawing a lot lately because I'm busy boning up on cartooning basics and techniques. Anyways, I'm reading a couple of books/trade magazine compilations that I think anybody can benefit from. My current reading list:
Draw and Paint Crazy Cartoon Characters (http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Paint-Crazy-Cartoon-Characters/dp/0764135732) - written by animator Vincent Woodcock, provides a lot of sound, fundamental advice on anatomy, caricaturing, and character design with a slant towards animation, but also applicable in comics and graphics work.
The Best of Draw! Vol.1 (http://www.amazon.com/Best-Draw/dp/1893905411/ref=sr_1_2/103-4615094-7177414?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189547868&sr=1-2) - Mike Manley compiles some of the best featured articles in Draw! magazine in this hefty paperback. This includes inking tutorials by inking gods Klaus Janson and Ricardo Villagran, a figure drawing demonstration by Bret Blevins, an in-depth article on computer-based illustration by Dave (Watchmen) Gibbons, a Phil Hester retrospective, a discussion with Samurai Jack creator and animator Genndy Tartakovsky, and a webcomics walkthrough by Steve Conley (who's probably more famous for his webdesign work).
Artists on Comic Art (http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Comics-Art-Mark-Salisbury/dp/1840231866) - Mike Salisbury interviews 11 of the more influential comic book artists today (including Jim Lee, Dave Gibbons, J. Scott Campbell, John Romita, Jr., Alex Ross, Frank Miller, Dave McKean, Brian Bolland, and Joe Quesada). It doesn't really provide much in the way of tutorials or step-by-step production but provides a lot of insight into the thought processes that go on behind drawing good comics.
Rough Stuff Vol.1 (http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=67&products_id=378) - A collection of articles showcasing pencil roughs, design sketches, and basic storyboards by guys like John Byrne, Bruce Timm, Art Adams, and others.
I'm also re-reading author and critically acclaimed comic book writer Steven Grant's series of "Creating Comics" online articles. A lot of good, practical insights on the plotting and writing process (liberally sprinkled with Grant's sharp wit, blunt criticism, and political commentary), although some of it runs contrary to the ideas espoused by Scott McCloud (probably the foremost contemporary authority on comics writing... I'm willing to give Grant the benefit of the doubt on these, though. After all, he's the one who's sold more comics scripts and screenplays).
Creating Comics Step 1 (Introduction) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2111)
Step 2 (The Theme) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2115)
Step 3 (Characters) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2119)
Step 4 (Plot vs. Characterization) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2129)
Step 4B (More on Plot) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2132)
Step 5 (The Setting) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2137)
Step 6 (More on Characterization) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2140)
Step 7 (Dialogue in Theory) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2144)
Step 7B (Dialogue in Practice) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2148)
Step 8 (The Nuts, Bolts, and Mechanical Aspects of Comics Writing) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2160)
Step 9 (The Pitch) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2164)
Step 10 (Comic Book Art Basics, Part 1) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2182)
Step 11 (Comic Book Art Basics, Part 2) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2206)
Step 12 (Penciling) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2239)
Timing in Comics (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2611): An article where Grant discusses the concept of timing in comics, and makes reference to McCloud's work in Understanding Comics (BTW, after reading some of Grant's articles you might find that some of his own techniques, philosophies and ideas run counter to that of McCloud's, they both make good points, IMO, but I tend to put slightly more weight on Grant's practical advice and shorthand techniques since he's had more commercial success in his career so far)
Step 13 (Comic Book Covers) (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=2315)
Cool list Zulu. I haven't commented on your work lately, but it's all really awesome. I especially like your Wolverine, he looks so compact and surly. I like the last version most. Your classic Superman isn't quite as big as I usually like to see him, but you really capture the grace of the characters flight. Very awesome. That Ghostrider is awesome, I love how you did the burning tires, very cool.
You know what character I'd really love to see your take on? Aquaman, I think it'd be interesting, especially considering the grace many of your interpretations have.
Aquaman, eh? Not really a fan, but I did like how he was portrayed in the JLU cartoon (although the mullet was pushing it a bit)... he looked a lot more imposing there than how I've traditionally seen him drawn, although the characterization did seem more "Namor-ish" to me, what with all the royal Atlantean attitude and acute disdain for surface-dwellers. Granted, my impressions of Aquaman have been shaped pretty much by the old Superfriends cartoons (I remember being in kindergarten and no one wanted to play as Aquaman. Come to think of it, nobody wanted to play as Robin or the Wonder Twin who could turn into water, either :lol:).
I might do a sketch one of these days, as I'm looking to get back into more traditional cartooning and caricaturing methods.
whipped this one up quick-like:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/donatellocopy.jpg)
Very nice work!!
While Raph was always my favorite I can always appreciate a good TMNT pic.
-MJB
Donatello FTW!!
Thanks for the comments. I haven't been able to clean it up or do any other ninja turtle-related images because I've been a little busy with a project. Anyway, here's a quick Wolverine drawing I managed to sneak in:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie_sancopy.jpg)
Also, a peek at a font I'm refining based on my own handwriting (still adjusting the kerning, and I haven't done the numerals and most of the punctuation yet):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/letter_test_zedhand.jpg)
Which leads me to ask, anybody know of any free, Windows-based, font creation programs? I've been using the trial version of High-Logic's FontCreator and I've got about three weeks left before the trial period ends. I don't even need anything that fancy since I manually adjust the kerning anyway, just something that supports smooth filters.
I haven't tried my hand at creating a font. Sorry, I can't help you.
-MJB
Thanks for the reply anyway Meej.
Here's another Punisher image:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/punisher_05copy.jpg)
I think it's pretty obvious at this point that I've got Team Fortress 2 on the brain :lol:
An unfinished Elektra piece (not sure if I still want to do the full figure or leave it as is):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/elektracopy-1.jpg)
I like the elektra pose. I would finish the legs and then drop a circle behind her (ala Mucha). That would look fantastic. Maybe even a shuriken design within the circle. I also dig that blockier, solid look for the Punisher. It has a good Frank Castle feel.
As for font making, I don't know. Sorry man.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions Mowg. I'll definitely expand on the Elektra image when I have time.
Seems like I'm stuck with FontCreator (now just 17 days left in the trial period!). Makes me wonder what the open-source/Linux communities use for making TrueType-compatible fonts. I've slowly been moving towards open-source applications for everything I do (video and audio encoding and editing, document handling) except for graphics work (I just can't wean myself away from the comforts of Photoshop, even though I've learned the rudiments of GIMP).
Here's the full Elektra image (click on the picture for a larger version):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/elektrafullcopy.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/elektralargefullcopy.jpg)
Thanks to Mowgli for the suggestions.
Cool. I like the way you used the shuriken twice as a design element instead of just a picture of a throwing star. Well done indeed. :thumbup:
Not a fan of Electra but that pic is nice. Love the BG.
-MJB
Thanks guys.
Anyway, here are some preview pics of character designs I'm doing for a comic book being penned by Tortuga (I'll leave it to Tort to go into detail regarding their backgrounds, I don't want to misrepresent his creations or anything). All these characters are designed to fit into a particular timeframe by the way (Silver Age/early Bronze Age of comics), which is why I've intentionally gone out of my way to make them look a bit dated:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/magnate02copy.jpg)
This is Magnate. Your Captain America-type team leader. He's armed with a sceptre/mace weapon that can channel energy.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/adrenalincopy-1.jpg)
Adrenaline. Team speedster, never makes public appearances unless she's completely covered (for a particular reason).
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/successorcopy-2.jpg)
Successor. An ancient Viking/Nordic warrior with a huge honking sword. Ended up spending way too much time reading about ancient Runic symbols because I didn't want to incorporate symbols that would be misconstrued down the road as being offensive (as some of you may know, runic symbology has a history of being used by Nazis, fascists, and white supremacists), but I wanted to use them to give an air of authenticity to the design.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/drama_queencopy2-1.jpg)
Drama Queen. The costume was inspired by mod fashion of the late 1960s. I shamelessly appropriated the likenesses of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn for her face and hair (although you can't really tell behind the mask). It's pretty apparent in this earlier version fo the character, though:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/drama_queencopy.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/spectrumcopy.jpg)
Spectrum. Has the power to manipulate light. His insignia was partially inspired by the cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dsotm.jpg)
I've got a few more conceptuals I'm still re-working. The funny thing about all this: They won't be spending too much time looking like they do in conceptuals in the comics themselves (at least not intiially, as far as I know).
I've been working on the sequentials of the first issue as well, although doing the breakdowns is a lot mroe challenging than I initially that it would be, and so I'm spending more time doing rough layouts and then throwing them out again:
Page 1 thumbnail:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/p01_thmb-2.jpg)
Page 2 thumbnail:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/p02_thmb-1.jpg)
I'm still reworking the layouts for the rest of the first issue, although I've started rendering the first page as well.
Wow, ZD, this was just thing I was hoping you'd do with your new style. I can't imagine how time-consuming it must be! The character designs look great. I particularly like Drama Queen's logo!
BTW, Aunt Yuan is Indian. During a recent trip back to her homeland I picked up a T-shirt with a very ornate design of a swastika. The caption under the design says "Swastika: A symbol of enlightenment 3000 years before a European madman appropriated it."
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on October 04, 2007, 06:13:29 PM
Wow, ZD, this was just thing I was hoping you'd do with your new style. I can't imagine how time-consuming it must be! The character designs look great. I particularly like Drama Queen's logo!
Thanks, the Drama Queen logo was mostly Tort's idea. As you can see in the earlier design, I wanted to use a stylized version of the Greek letter
psi (as a nod to her psychic powers), although I did come up with the stylized "Q" badge shape as a complement to Magnate's "M"/eagle..
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on October 04, 2007, 06:13:29 PMBTW, Aunt Yuan is Indian. During a recent trip back to her homeland I picked up a T-shirt with a very ornate design of a swastika. The caption under the design says "Swastika: A symbol of enlightenment 3000 years before a European madman appropriated it."
Yeah, a lot of people don't realize that the swastika (
sauvastika, in Sanskrit, IIRC, and
manji, in Japanese) was originally, primarily a fixture in Buddhist and Hindu iconography (and as many people also don't realize, Buddhism originated in India).
Also, contrary to popular notion, both left-facing and right-facing swastikas were used in Asia as benevolent symbols: most people assume that the left-facing swastika is the "good swastika" while the right-facing swastika is the "evil swastika" (probably because the right-facing swastika is associated with the Nazi Party and Hitler), although for some reason, the left-facing swastika was more popular in ancient times.
The Nazi Party swastika, as far as i can tell, isn't really a traditional swastika in itself, but an icon created from the crossing of two
Eihwaz runes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eihaz) (the rune used to represent Yggdrasil, the World Tree in Norse mythology), rendered in a way that the conflation of those two runes also looks like a right-facing swastika. The Germanic/Nordic rune origin of the "Nazi swastika" makes much more sense when you see how much runes were used in Nazi uniforms. The "SS" insignia, for example (the black "lightning bolts") are stylized Sowilo runes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowilo) while the badges used by the Nazi-sponsored Volksdeutsche divisions in Croatia incorporated the odal rune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othalan).
Of course, I wouldn't put it past the early Nazis to have simply appropriated Indian symbols and purposefully mixed them in with indigenous Germanic symbols. Even the word "Aryan" (also a Sanskrit-derived word) had a totally different connotation before the Nazis popularized its use to refer to the non-Semitic, fair-skinned population of Europe. Before the Nazis misappropriated the term, "Aryan" historically referred to the Persian subpopulation of India and the Middle East (the word "Iran" is actually a cognate meaning "Land of the Aryans"), many of whose descendants would eventually become the Romani ("Gypsy") populations of Europe, whom, in a tragically ironic twist of fate, would suffer horrible persecution under Nazi and Fascist rule.
Whew! I told you I spent too much time researching these things :D
Love the original designs, ZD, i'll be keepin my eye on these in the future. Drama Queen's symbol is one of those things you look at and say "Why didn't I think of that?"
Great stuff.
Quote from: zuludelta on October 04, 2007, 07:17:39 PM
Of course, I wouldn't put it past the early Nazis to have simply appropriated Indian symbols and purposefully mixed them in with indigenous Germanic symbols. Even the word "Aryan" (also a Sanskrit-derived word) had a totally different connotation before the Nazis popularized its use to refer to the non-Semitic, fair-skinned population of Europe. Before the Nazis misappropriated the term, "Aryan" historically referred to the Persian subpopulation of India and the Middle East (the word "Iran" is actually a cognate meaning "Land of the Aryans"), many of whose descendants would eventually become the Romani ("Gypsy") populations of Europe, whom, in a tragically ironic twist of fate, would suffer horrible persecution under Nazi and Fascist rule.
I never knew about the runic stuff and assumed that the above was the way it happened. I always considered it ironic that the "true" Aryans were swarthier than the semitic peoples Hitler was trying to set Europeans apart from.
You may call those costumes "dated" but I call them classic.
Those character designs are absolutely awesome. I can't express to you how great I think they are. Magnate's look alone makes me want to buy this comic. :mjb:
Awesome work Zulu and Tort.
-MJB
Very creative costume designs Zulu! I don't know how you do it. :doh:
Impressive start for an original comic book. With a great cast of characters so far. ^_^
Expecting great things from this comics. :cool: Do your best guys!
Good luck! Make mine Zulu ! ;)
Thanks Meej, Outcast!
I have to admit, it feels pretty good getting some positive outside feedback, since working in a self-contained environment with Tort (and the occasional advice from my animator brother) sometimes makes me wonder if I'm making the right design decisions (and I end up second-guessing myself a lot of the time).
I can see Ren meshing these guys and you Zulu skining them! Love 'em just love 'em!!! My faves Adrenaline! :thumbup:
ok umm wow! I LUV IT! :D
Especially Successor he is major cool! :thumbup:
I want to see more lol!
A couple of Wolverine costume re-designs:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie_redesign2ccopy.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie_redesign2bcopy.jpg)
Yellow and blue... Yuck! Gold and brown... okay. I miss the black shading in the G&B version.
-MJB
Quote from: MJB on October 19, 2007, 02:05:19 AM
Yellow and blue... Yuck! Gold and brown... okay. I miss the black shading in the G&B version.
-MJB
Yeah, I wasn't too fond of the yellow and blue myself, just did the palette swap as an afterthought (I might flip the colours... have him wear a yellow vest and blue pants instead). Good catch on the missing blacks in the brown uniform, thanks. Here's an updated version:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie_redesign2copy.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/wolvie_redesign3copy.jpg)
Wolvie wears a hoodie?? :o Have chavs made it across the pond to Canada now? ;)
I can see the logic for the gloves and the tabis, but that hood-thing is just throwing the whole thing for me. It detracts from what might be a good design (for me), kinda like the ridiculously long hair the artist had on him in the Wolverine/Havok mini-series.
Very nice Zulu. :thumbup:
-MJB
I gotta go with PG on this one. Normally I'm a big fan of your work, but the hoodie / cowl just isn't doing it for me.
Hm . . . stumbled across another censored word. Apparently the Latin word "cee yoo em" (as in hoodie cee yoo em cowl) isn't allowed. And "hoodie fluid cowl" just doesn't make sense.
Thanks for the comments guys, I really appreciate them. I can see how turning his distinctive mask into a hood might not be to many people's liking, I was attempting to make him look more like a boxer/martial artist-type; the costume was influenced in equal parts by a character I saw in Naruto (don't ask me which one, I don't really follow the cartoon or the manga) and DC's Wildcat. I admit there's a missing element of coherence in there, like it was just thrown together, and I might re-visit the image sometime in the future and see if I can improve on it.
I was just thinking that he looked like a martial artist training with the hood/cowl.
i like it, its kinda like hourman's in a way. and having the hood down with wolvie pulling it on is a pretty cool visual too (in my imagination).
I'm not really a fan of the gloves though.
I'd keep the backs closed if you want the rolled cuffs. but for open backs, i'd give him more of a weight-trainer type glove, with maybe a strap instead of a rolled cuff.
Hand wraps wouldn't really be out of place either. but that would just add to the Wildcat vibe though.
oh, and maybe some brown seams on the pants, just to seperate the colour a little. i like how you've got the yellow seams around the arm holes.
ps. whats wrong with hoodies? they've been a fashion staple my whole life! i remember when i used to call it a kangaroo pouch in the front, heh heh.
!!! I love the Wolverine Hoodie idea- it looks great!
:)
Some teaser pics from my work on Seniority:
Page 2, panels 3 and 4:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/page02_panel03_04.jpg)
Page 3 , panel 2 (still working on this one):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/page03_panel02.jpg)
Page 4, panel 1:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/page04_panel01.jpg)
And zuludelta strikes back! :P
I'm confused by the first two panels. The shape of the staff is dramatically different in the second one. I assume that not being able to read the dialog that goes with them I may be at a disadvantage, heh.
The other panels look great. It's cool to see how your recent style is translating to a more traditional comic format.
-MJB
Hey! Even I hadn't seen that Page 4, Panel 1 shot until now! Am I now among the teased? :P
I love the angle on that pic, Zulu.
MJB, Magnate's sceptre is essentially an energy weapon, it's not explained in the captions at that point. The bulb becomes energy, which will be more evident in other parts of the story.
Quote from: Tortuga on November 01, 2007, 08:20:36 PM
Hey! Even I hadn't seen that Page 4, Panel 1 shot until now! Am I now among the teased? :P
Don't worry, I'll have the full pages in soon :)
Unused design for a project (Photoshop colours over my pencils):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/prototype.jpg)
Very nice. :)
-MJB
Glad you like it Meej.
Here's a quick self-portrait-y thing:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/Untitled-1copy.jpg)
Joel Kleine's Magnate:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/magnate_kicking_asscopy.jpg)
Very cool. :)
But please call him Tortuga, real names creep me out. ;)
Very cool! I would love to see a mag full of this art.
I'm lovin' seeing Magnate in action. He looks ticked off and heroic all at once!
Quote from: captainspud on December 23, 2007, 02:17:34 PM
Very cool. :)
But please call him Tortuga, real names creep me out. ;)
You don't want to know how many times I nearly called you "Captain Spud" in the referal phone interview.
I can't wait to see this comic in hand :thumbup:!
Love the art, very unique style.
I've got to agree. This is looking really awesome.
Not to mention, that's a sweet costume design. I'm excited to read this.
Quote from: captainspud on December 23, 2007, 02:17:34 PM
Very cool. :)
But please call him Tortuga, real names creep me out. ;)
you don't have a problem using my real name
Quote from: Mr. Hamrick on December 27, 2007, 10:25:00 PM
you don't have a problem using my real name
Actually, I do. It would've been easier if you'd just stuck with Whiskey Saint.
A little Daredevil... might eventually add Elektra and/or Black Widow to the piece when I find the time, but for now it's just an excuse to draw a superhero posed in a traditional eskrima/kali stance:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/ddcopy-2.jpg)
Nice pic Zulu, but I got to say DD's left hand is a bit hard to read.
-MJB
I see what you mean, it sort of blends too well into his body. This better?
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/dd4copy.jpg)
Much!
-MJB
Added Elektra:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/dd4copy-1.jpg)
Maybe I'll add Black Widow, or even Typhoid Mary eventually.
Here's Typhoid Mary:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/typhoid.jpg)
You are without a doubt one of my favorite artist!
It's people like you who has inspired me to draw(Or learn to draw) :)
Thanks YH, very flattering comments (keep 'em coming :lol:).
Anyways, I liked how Typhoid Mary turned out so much I decided to make a wallpaper out of the image (in 1024 x 768 resolution).
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/typhoid_wp_preview.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/typhoid_wp_1024x768.jpg)
Man I would so buy your comic!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/akuma_av_FR.gif)<--- this is me getting in on the Capcom sprite avatar fad :lol:
EDIT:
Another sprite av loosely based on my old avatar skin:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/remy_av3_FR.gif)
Working on "cleaning up" my illustration style, going away from the more exaggerated proportions of my previous work:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/mag_DQcopy.jpg)
Bored. Decided to do a Capcom-styled sprite of House Quake:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/housequake.gif)
Maybe I'll do the rest of the original NPI guys (Kommando, Desdemona, Bloodshadow) when I find the time
Keep teasing us with Seniority pics, ZD, I'm hooked!
Love the 2D Quake :D
Quote from: Carravaggio on January 11, 2008, 06:22:12 AM
Keep teasing us with Seniority pics, ZD, I'm hooked!
Glad you like it Car... I'm actually reading the script for the first issue right now, and I gotta tell you, I really have to pull my weight on this one because Tort has done a really good job writing it.
And finally, because I'd rather goof off instead of work, the original NPI guys, in Capcom sprite form
(from L-R: me, Kommando, HouseQuake, Desdemona, and Bloodshadow):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/remy_av3_FR.gif)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/kommando.gif)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/housequake.gif)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desdemona.gif)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/bloodshadow.gif)
Awesome art Zulu
Thanks cat.
Here's a drawing I made of a Filipino Igorot warrior some time ago, but only coloured recently. It was the first of a series I was going to make of ancient warriors/martial artists (besides the Igorot warrior, I was planning on making a samurai, a ninja, a Shao-lin monk, a traditional muay thai fighter, etc.) but I never really followed through with it. Maybe in the future (I get distracted too easily).
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/warriorcopy.jpg)
I drew this while I was still heavily influenced by guys like Skottie Young, Humberto Ramos, and Adam Pollina, hence the wacky proportions.
Some background on the subject matter: Igorots were some of the most feared fighters in the Philippines, and their territory in the mountainous north of the country was one of the few places that never fell under foreign military subjugation. They resisted over the 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, and thwarted the Japanese encroachment of World War II (in fact, a good number of Japanese soldiers ended up being assimilated into Igorot society during and immediately after the war... I could probably go off on an amateur sociological digression about how the warrior culture of the Igorots probably held some appeal to the samurai mentality of the Japanese, but I won't). The Americans made some headway into the north during their occupation of the Philippines in the first half of the 20th century, but only because they tried a non-military approach... they established churches and schools and waged what could be termed as an assault on the indigenous culture (these days, most Igorots are nominally Christian, although they still practice some traditional rites, and English is generally considered the third most widely-spoken language in the area... also, strangely enough, country music is popular in many Igorot communities).
Much of the Igorot martial art, as it were, is weapons-based, using the sib-at (pike), the bu-neng (otherwise known as the bolo or itak, a heavy long knife for slashing/hacking, much like a machete), and the ax, although wrestling also plays a large part in the indigenous martial arts. The traditional martial arts of the Igorot are all but forgotten (although some of it survives in ritualized dance), but elements of it (along with the martial arts of other Filipino communities) can be found in the modern-day Eskrima and Kali martial arts schools (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskrima) (popularized in comic books such as Nightwing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Grayson#Skills_and_abilities))... the eskrima staves are supposed to represent the original bladed weapons (19th century Filipino martial art practitioners had to resort to wooden weapons during the Spanish and American occupation since carrying bladed weapons in public was made illegal).
Enjoying the art Zulu :blink:
I've always thought that your work on Senority looked pretty realistic. How would you plan on changing it?
I like the newest piece, though. :cool:
Quote from: Figure Fan on January 16, 2008, 04:42:19 PM
I've always thought that your work on Senority looked pretty realistic. How would you plan on changing it?
Nothing major... I noticed that while using simpler and blockier designs works in animation for conveying movement and expression, it doesn't work as well as a type of shorthand in my panel-to-panel art (which is already "simplified" because of the flat colouring approach I use).
QuoteI like the newest piece, though. :cool:
I actually hated the drawing when I finished it (the warrior one) because I felt like I did a bad job of mimicking the whole Eric Canete/Skottie Young aesthetic (not copying them specifically, but just exuding the same type of energy their work typically has... the static pose I picked doesn't really help), which is why it took me so long to get around to colouring it. I still plan on developing a style in that direction (just not for
Seniority) but I still need a lot of work and practice using that much of a stylized approach.
A tad tied up with some RL stuff... thought I'd share a couple of my recent reading material with you guys, though, if you're looking to refresh your art skills:
Dynamic Figure Drawing (http://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Figure-Drawing-Practical-Books/dp/0823015777) by Burne Hogarth: This book basically takes the core elements of the Dynamic Anatomy, Drawing the Human Head, and Drawing Dynamic Hands books and puts them all together into a concise, practical, figure drawing guide. Not a book for the beginning artist but for the student who's already studied human surface anatomy and basic musculature, this is a great reference for rendering the human figure from all sorts of angles and in all sorts of poses. It's also a good refresher book if you feel the need to bone up on your formal life drawing skills, but have lost your old human anatomy references or don't have the time or resources to do a live life drawing session.
Storyboard Design Course: Principles, Practice, and Techniques (http://www.amazon.com/Storyboard-Design-Course-Principles-Techniques/dp/0764137328) by Giuseppe Cristiano: A practical and comprehensive guide to the art of storyboarding for film, commercials, animation, video games, and other media. The book's layout is designed to mimic a formal school course, with chapters devoted to specific "lessons" in storyboarding. A lot of the techniques here can easily be applied to writing and drawing comics.
Seems like as time goes by, I get lazier and lazier with my "analog" drawing. It's gotten to the point where I usually just draw basic shapes and movement lines on paper and then draw everything else digitally. I still bust out the pencil when I feel like loosening up my hands and fingers, though, like this sketch of Successor (a character from Seniority):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/successor_face_test.jpg)
Some head rotation references I made for a certain character:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/narrator_head_rotate.jpg)
Hey Eugene!
I love that Successor pic too.
Nice work on the head turns Zulu. A few more frames and you could animate it. Heh.
-MJB
Quote from: Tortuga on January 30, 2008, 12:48:46 PM
Hey Eugene!
I was trying to flesh out his look, going for a cross between "thin Henry Kissinger" and "post-freaky stepdaughter marriage Woody Allen" :lol:
Quote from: Tortuga on January 30, 2008, 12:48:46 PM
I love that Successor pic too.
In retrospect, I think his look was subconsciously inspired by Gerard Butler and Stellan Skarsgard in the 2005
Beowulf & Grendel movie.
Quote from: MJB on January 30, 2008, 03:19:07 PM
Nice work on the head turns Zulu. A few more frames and you could animate it. Heh.
I'm actually thinking of using an animator's approach to drawing the comic, basically building up a library of "cels" that I can re-use and adapt to cut down on the drawing time for future issues, similar to how printed adaptations of animated films are made (although I'm obviously skipping the animation part). Building the image base is the hardest and most time-intensive part, though.
Here's a piece I did for kicks:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/tetsujincopy-1.jpg)
It's Iron Man re-imagined as a tokusatsu type character... I guess he'd be called Tetsujin ("iron-man") in this case... I didn't want to go the obvious route and re-make him as a manga-styled mech suit wearing guy.
Ha ha! That's awesome!
And, I would probably totally watch a Japanese Iron Man. Besides, he's bound to have to jump into a giant robot by the end of the episode. In fact, he'll probably join up with War Machine's and some other people's. And he can STILL fight The Mandarin!
Quote from: UnkoMan on February 07, 2008, 08:43:43 AM
Ha ha! That's awesome!
And, I would probably totally watch a Japanese Iron Man. Besides, he's bound to have to jump into a giant robot by the end of the episode. In fact, he'll probably join up with War Machine's and some other people's. And he can STILL fight The Mandarin!
Yeah, the giant robot thing sounds great (especially if it's a combiner of some sort), maybe I'll look into it when I get the time.
I really love that drawing of the japanese style Iron Man. It's almost like a power ranger meets shellhead. Cool concept and execution. The pose has the perfect feel for the genre.
I have to say, I REALLY like that sketch of Successor from Seniority. It's a departure from the other work you have been posting (digital). I like that sketchy look and think there is a lot of feeling in his face and eyes. I would like to see more of that sort of work from you.
I also am dieing to read some Seniority!!!! :blink:
Quote from: Mowgli on February 10, 2008, 01:50:01 PM
I really love that drawing of the japanese style Iron Man. It's almost like a power ranger meets shellhead. Cool concept and execution. The pose has the perfect feel for the genre.
Thanks! I wouldn't call myself a fan of
tokusatsu, but I grew up watching a lot of Choudenshi Bioman (http://www.japanhero.com/sentai%20image%20pages/biomanimages.htm) and Shaider (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uchuu_Keiji_Shaider), so those two shows basically informed the design.
Quote from: Mowgli on February 10, 2008, 01:50:01 PM
I have to say, I REALLY like that sketch of Successor from Seniority. It's a departure from the other work you have been posting (digital). I like that sketchy look and think there is a lot of feeling in his face and eyes. I would like to see more of that sort of work from you.
I also am dieing to read some Seniority!!!! :blink:
My "analog" drawings are actually a bit of a departure from the purely digital stuff, more so, I think, than most artists who work in both media... as I've mentioned before, I "draw" digitally with a mouse (and not a pen & tablet), so the movements are really different. I definitely lean towards more stylized and generally rough figures with my pencil work (I think some of my biggest influences would probably be Goseki Kojima and more recent guys like Eric Canete, Goran Parlov, and Gabriel Ba). With regards to Seniority, Tort and I have talked about going the "analog route" when it comes to the art... I'm actually penciling a sample page right now (to be sent out to the potential inker), well, after I finish fixing a client's PC, anyway, maybe I'll post it here eventually.
Wow, it's been a month since I posted here... been away from the boards to deal with some messy messy real-world issues, but thought I'd pop in here in case people start wondering what happened to me. And even if people don't, oh well, I've always found doing art to be pretty cathartic.
Anyways, here's where I clumsily segue into today's pieces. I learned to do silk-screen printing as a kid; part of the old practical arts primary school curriculum (Grade 3-6) in the Philippines when I was growing up, along with agriculture (each student was alloted a small plot of land that they had to tend to for a year), cooking, basic electrical stuff, sewing (which I very nearly failed at), and woodworking.
So I was thinking of doing some silk-screen prints (maybe on a shirt or something), but I didn't have a silk-screen (or even an x-acto knife) laying around, so I just took some acetates and cut my drawn patterns onto them using an old box cutter I found in one of my old school bags:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/rizal_stencil_small.jpg)
This one's a likeness of Dr. Jose Rizal, noted 19th century author (his darkly satirical novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are two of my favourite books), reformer, and politico-ideological predecessor of more notable "pacifist revolutionaries" such as Mahatma Gandhi and Sun-Yat Sen. You can read more about him here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal).
Once I'd finished one, though, I decided to do another:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/bonifacio_stencil_small.jpg)
This one's Andres Bonifacio, another Philippine revolutionary (more about him here (http://www.bakbakan.com/heroes.html)), albeit a more controversial one than Rizal: although he was inspired by Rizal's writings, he advocated revolution through armed struggle, and he was actually killed by his fellow revolutionaries during an internal struggle for leadership. He's been lionized in current Philippine history though, as sort of the common man's hero (as opposed to Rizal being hero for the intellectual elite).
I've already tested the stencils out via spray-painting (kinda reminded me of my teen "graffiti" phase), but now I'm looking for some fabric paint so I can do some transfers on some old shirts.
Also, here's a more intricate pattern I drew (I'll cut it out soon as I get some more acetates), it's of a girl playing "piko", which is sort of like the Philippine version of hopscotch.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/piko_small.jpg)
Well, time I dusted off this thread.
I haven't been very active art-wise lately. I'm not really in the habit of talking about my personal circumstances in these forums, so let's just say that I've been in a position these past few months where the creative impulse and art (commercial and personal) was not a priority. And while I don't want to speak for Joel (Tortuga) and his own unique set of circumstances, it's probably safe to say that it was the accumulation of what we like to call "RL issues" that's pushed the Seniority comic book project back for an indefinite amount of time.
That out of the way, I did just get a new tablet (thank you tax refund!), so I'm trying to adapt my process to incorporate it. Here's a couple of clumsy early efforts:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/quick_sketch.jpg)
A self-portrait of sorts, done within 5 minutes of hooking the tablet up
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/quick_sketch02.jpg)
Started out as a sketch of Philippine actor Robin Padilla, but I kind of lost interest half-way through and ended up just filling in his face with generic features.
Dope....But, "Why so serious?"
Quote from: style on June 11, 2008, 09:52:50 AM
Dope....But, "Why so serious?"
Ha ha... I'm not that serious at all, style... I'm so laid back I practically sleepwalk through my day!
Pretty cool stuff Z', always a pleasure to see your work :)
Quote from: Aly Cat on June 12, 2008, 10:59:27 AM
Pretty cool stuff Z', always a pleasure to see your work :)
Thanks Aly!
Here are some samples of the work I was doing for
Seniority before we decided to re-think the approach to the art. Originally, my goal was to build 3D "sets" in Sketch-up (Google's 3-D modeling program), and use publicly released .skp models, and then draw and paint over screenshots of those "sets"... that way, I could concentrate on drawing figures. It ended up being a bit too time-consuming, though, and I wasn't exactly happy with how my figure work meshed with the models. But here are a couple of samples, for what they're worth:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/unused_art_01.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/unused_art_02.jpg)
While the exterior of the houses is a little too "obviously 3D model." the rest of the pictures seem to look really good, I think. I can see how it would end up taking MORE time than just drawing them, however.
I really like that cowboy page, though.